The School of Music and the Hispanic League present a free concert to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with the Nu Ensemble directed by alumnus Felipe Tristán (PAC ’11) in a program of works by Latino composers and more on Saturday, October 15 at 7:30 pm in Watson Hall on the UNCSA campus. A free pre-concert reception in the lobby of Watson Hall is open to all audience members beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Register for free tickets at uncsa.edu/nusensemble or by calling the box office at 336-721-1945. The concert will also be broadcast live as part of Live from Watson Hall.
The concert, part of the Hispanic League 30th anniversary “Colorful Sounds in Concert Series,” is the culmination of a week-long residency during which Tristán will also conduct educational outreach at local Winston-Salem/Forsyth County schools in partnership with the League, among other events.
Tristán is quickly establishing himself as one of Mexico’s most sought-after conductors, having conducted around the world, across the US and on some of New York’s most important stages.
Photo: Michael Fiedler
“I am excited to return to my alma mater UNCSA,” said Tristán. “This program is especially special to me as it celebrates the Hispanic composers of our time. Among them is Pulitzer Prize winner Tania León, a woman I have long admired, as well as two extraordinary young Mexican composers Francisco Cortés Álvarez and Antonio Juan-Marcos.
The program includes the Cuban composer Leon’s “Indígena” by Cortés Álvarez Juan-Marco’s “Homenaje a Revueltas” and “Canto Empedrado” in addition to Vietnamese-American composer Viet Cuong “Pulse Train” and “Tribute to Federico García Lorca” by the Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas.
Focusing on 21st century repertoire, nu Ensemble also engages with composers from the recent past who have had a profound impact on contemporary music. Through intensive rehearsals, background readings and studies, nu members come to understand the work of our time, gathering the tools and experience to have a positive impact on the music of the future.
“The Hispanic League is thrilled to celebrate our 30th anniversary by including Felipe Tristán as our guest for the fall Colorful Sounds in Concert series,” said Mari Jo Turner, Executive Director. “The vision behind these concerts is to play music with tropical colors and Andean sounds, and to present classical/country/folk music from different geographical areas using rhythmic expressions unique to Latin American countries. These concerts have been a pleasure for the community that appreciates the quality of artists that represent the culture of these countries.”
Tristán added, “I’m also honored to partner with the Hispanic League to connect with the community at screenings and educational events. Now more than ever, it is very important to provide a platform to artists of Hispanic descent and celebrate the rich cultural traditions. I can’t wait to be back in beautiful Winston Salem and on campus at UNCSA to make music!”
About Felipe Tristan
Conductor of Mexican origin Felipe TristINn is the Founder and Music Director of the Symphony Orchestra of the Americas, an organization that promotes Latin American concert music, as well as intercontinental dialogue and cooperation.
He has performed in China, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Panama and across the US, in cities such as Washington, DC, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, San Diego, New Orleans and Minneapolis. In New York City he has conducted at venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, Symphony Space and the DiMenna Center for Classical Music. He is associate conductor of the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra and recently brought the ensemble to Mexico for the first time for a residency at the National Conservatory of Music of Mexico, performing two concerts in Mexico City.
He is the First Prize Winner of the Bell Power Conductors Conducting Competition (Germany 2019), International Conductors Workshop & Competition (Atlanta 2018); Guest conductors include the Southwest Konstanz Philharmonic, the Gwinnett Chamber Symphony Orchestra, the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, the North Shore Symphony Orchestra, the Queretaro Philharmonic Orchestra, the Baja California Orchestra, and the Chihuahua State Symphony Orchestra, Oaxacatranyymphonyy ) and the Michoacan Symphony Orchestra.
Since 2016, Felipe Tristán has been the Assistant Director of Education of the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance—a six-time Grammy Award-winning organization—and has been on faculty at the Brooklyn College Preparatory Arts Center as Director of String Orchestras. Since 2018 he is the conductor of the Repertory Orchestra at the Manhattan School of Music.
Felipe Tristán graduated from Escuela Superior de Música y Danza de Monterrey, Universidad Regiomontana, University of Houston and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and completed advanced studies in orchestral conducting with Dr. Mark Shapiro in the evening division of the Juilliard School in New York. He also holds a Certificate in Leadership Principles from Harvard Business School Online. More information at felipetristan.com and @felipetristan on Instagram.
About the Hispanic League
Founded in 1992, the mission of the Hispanic League is to improve the quality of life for Hispanics/Latinos through community involvement, education, health and multicultural understanding. For more information on the Hispanic League to learn about upcoming events, join, get a photo ID, volunteer, or stay connected to your local Hispanic/Latino community, visit www .hispanicleague.org.
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