The Silberman School of Social Work archives are an incredible source of inspiration for scholarly research and for artists of all disciplines.
Aliana de la Guardia and saxophonist Thomas Giles perform the work premiere of a new work for voice and sax duo by Artist in Residence, Gabriel Bouche Caro based on his research. Join us on May 30th for a very special musical performance and witness the rebirth of archived sounds into innovative musical arrangements.
Thursday, May 30, 2024, 7:00PM
The Silberman School of Social Work
Center for Puerto Rican Studies | Hunter College
695 Park Ave, New York, NY 10065
Gabriel Bouche Caro’s piece is a new performance for solo instrument and narrator/singer. It resembles a stream-of-consciousness/musical theater monologue with the vocalist representing the complexities of the Puerto Rican identity and current situation. The performance’s narrative is constructed by taking highly specific texts from the collections of Tato Laviera, Victor Hernandez Cruz, Pura Belpre, and more and making them into a dramatic reading that brings forth conflicts within the ‘diasporican’ identity, the duality of being a nationalist living in the colonizer’s land, and the image of an artist who wishes to bring forth the intricacies and beauty of their culture to the world. This is Puerto Rican music, not as folk, but as a synthesis of sound, experience, tradition, difficulties, and successes that come from living life square-rooted in a richly complex and demanding cultural situation.
Guarionex Morales Matos’ project, Pedro Pietri: An Aesthetic Collision Between His Poetry and Puerto Rican Art Song explores the exclusion of diasporic poets from the Puerto Rican art song genre through the work of Pedro Pietri. Pietri’s poetry constitutes the perfect compositional material for this genre, despite the euro-centrical criteria that have historically marked the latter’s development and approach towards the public. Morales Matos strives to transgress said conventionalisms to crumble the artificial barriers between art forms, as well as those that divide the popular, folk, and classical music spheres. The lyrics and music will derive from three of Pietri’s least-known texts to create a powerful triptych for mezzo-soprano, clarinet, and piano.
This event is co-sponsored by NALAC: National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures.