In this issue: Our Composers in the News, Student Corner, and more!!!

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Our Composers in the News

On September 10, Gabriel Yela guest conducted a special performance of the National Symphony Or- chestra of Guatemala in celebration of that nation’s independence day.
The Banda Marcial de Caracas gave the premier performance of Cuma- nagoto, by Luis Pérez Valero, on September 13 in that city’s Plaza Bolívar.
Boris Alvarado’s dramatic work, Opera del Cuerpo, was premiered yesterday in Valparaiso, Chile. Mean- while, in Colombia it was announced that Nicolás Hernández was selected as one of the winners of the Caldas Symphony Or- chestra’s Third National Competition for his work Necrópolis, which will be premiered by that ensemble on September 25.
Federico Núñez will be participating as a member of the organizing team behind CICTeM 2015 (a congress for composers of electro- acoustic music) in Buenos Aires during the period September 17 through 19.

Help Us Help the Ondas Ensemble

The Ondas Ensemble, a performing group that specializes in classical music of the Americas, is pleased to announce a joint project with Cayambis Music Press to perform the latter’s publications at the Kentucky Flute Festival in January. For the past several months the two organizations have been working in coordination with Cayambis composers to create a special program of new Latin American music for soprano, flute and guitar.
As the ensemble begins to prepare for the Kentucky event, we have implemented a means by which a portion of our profits can be used to help defray the cost of travel from Chicago to Richmond, Kentucky: Through Decem- ber 31, on any order up to five titles (excluding or- chestral and concert band pieces), we will not only give a portion of the proceeds to the Ondas group, but you, our valued customer, will receive 10% off when you use the coupon code “ondas” (just the five letters, no quotation marks) at checkout.

Student Corner

John Walker attended a conference on Latin American choral music this past June. One of the main objectives of the event was to help American musicians overcome their insecurity with the rhythmic language and other elements that are oftentimes prominent features of this kind of music. He said that a number of people even admitted that they were uncomfortable performing Latin American music because their interpretation might be considered inauthentic.
But someone contributed an interesting response, one which bears sharing with you, the Cayambis family: “Nobody,” that person said, “even thinks twice, much less agonizes, over having to learn to perform the musical styles of two hundred years ago or so. Furthermore, when we listen to a younger player whose interpretation is not quite fully developed, we’re not critical; rather, we know that with the right training and a little persistence they will get there.”
The point he was trying to make is that few, if any of us, grow up in the same sort of musical environment that existed during the time of Mozart or Beethoven. Similarly, by the time we have begun to study music in earnest we may not have heard much classical music influenced by joropos, tangos or even the ancient Aztecs.
But we should not let this deter us, when in fact, that same persistence may reward us with the knowledge that much of Latin America’s classical music tradition reveals a special richness that really can only to serve to make us more versatile performers.

New Feature!

We’re making it easier! Not only has every one of the titles in our catalog been difficulty rated, but this information, along with catalog number, instrumentation, approximate length and the number of scores and parts in the set, is right at your fingertips, on every product page.

New Titles!

Here are some of the new titles added to our catalog during the last month:
Chronicles and Poems, for wind quintet, by Edson Beltrami; by Sadiel Cuentas, Traffic, for trumpet and piano; Luis Pérez Valero’s Konok Dai for unaccompanied trombone; ¿Transformación? by Demian Galindo and Dualismos by Alvaro Zúñiga, both for flute and guitar; and by Marcelo Beltrán, a grade 3 work, Procession of the Palms, for concert band. All are printed and available for sale.

Cayambis composer Federico Núñez will be hosting the third Santa María International Guitar Competition and Festival in Buenos Aires next month.

Khemia Ensemble Tours South America

Jeannette Fang reports that all of the members of the Khemia Ensemble (a member of the Cayambis Music Press Artist Program) are riding the high of their return from a successful tour through Argentina and Colombia. The group premiered five new works that were composed for their ensemble, as well as delivered dynamic performances of various well-known works of the 20th century. As the resident ensemble at the National University of Colombia, National University of Cordoba, and the B3CIM Festival (Composition and Music Research Biennial) in Argentina, the group ran masterclasses, gave coachings, held composition readings, and taught lessons in addition to giving multiple performances.
“The trip was amazing,” says Carolina Heredia, founder of the ensemble. “Every concert was packed, and the audiences were so enthusiastic and excited about new music. Each one of us were invigorated by the genuine musicality of the students and musicians we met, and so touched by the appreciation they had for our time there.”

Edson Beltrami, Fantasy No 1 for Sax Quartet

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