2024 Program Guide | Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music

CABRILLO FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC 58 PASSAGE: PROGRAM NOTES Baião N' Blues (2023) Clarice Assad  (b. 1978) [West Coast Premiere] This performance has been funded in part with the support of the Jeffery Cotton Award, a program of the BMI Foundation. More information about composer Jeffery Cotton (1957-2013) is available at  jefferycotton.com. Commissioned by KMFA, Classical 89.5 in Austin, Texas, for its 2023 Draylen Mason Composer-in-Residence initiative. Dedicated to Lou Ann and Bill Lasher, and the memory of Draylen Mason (2000-2018). Baião N’ Blues  is an orchestral composition celebrating the vibrant fusion of two diverse musical worlds. Inspired by Brazilian music’s lively rhythms and infused with American blues’ soulful essence, the piece explores cross-cultural musical influences. Juxtaposing Brazilian themes with bluesy inflections, the composition presents a seamless and delightful blend of harmonious colors. Throughout the orchestral journey, a sense of lightness and humor permeates the musical landscape, inviting the audience to engage in a spirited dialogue. Commissioned by KMFA for the University of Texas Orchestra under conductor Douglas Kinney Frost, Baião N’ Blues showcases the power of music to transcend cultural boundaries and connect people through the art of listening. —Clarice Assad Passage (2018) Pierre Jalbert  (b. 1967) [West Coast Premiere] In my work, the title refers to the many meanings of the word ‘passage’: the journey from one place to another (many of my recent works have explored the idea of migration, a journey filled with trials and tribulations), the passage of time, and musical passages. The piece was originally commissioned by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as part of their Beethoven 250th anniversary commissioning project. There are references and transformations of musical passages from Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony throughout the piece. Many of these passages were simply starting points and evolved into new and unique musical material. The idea of the passage of time and transforming older music into a modern musical language also played a part in the work. The piece is in three contrasting movements, with each movement responding to a different aspect of Beethoven’s score. Ultimately, the work stands on its own terms to form something of our own time—a journey from one place to another. —Pierre Jalbert Violin Concerto (2024) Errollyn Wallen (b. 1958) [West Coast Premiere] Philippe Quint, violin It has been a fascinating journey creating my first violin concerto. When one composes for a virtuoso such as Philippe Quint, a world of possibilities opens up when the combination of expressivity, character and technical prowess is in one musician’s hands and available to explore. This has been a great inspiration to my musical thinking in this work. A notable feature of the violin concerto is the inclusion of material which is biographical. The listener will hear in the first movement music which triggered the memory of the sound of church bells heard by Philippe as a child in the Soviet Union and, in the second movement, a lullaby, ‘Shlof Mayn Fegele’ sung to the young Philippe by his grandfather. The final movement is playful and optimistic — evoking the welcome of a new life in America.  The concerto is in three movements.  I take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to Philippe Quint for discovering and championing my music and for the opportunity to collaborate with him and with all the orchestras involved in this commission in such a fruitful and enjoyable way. —Errollyn Wallen Mariachitlán (2016) Juan Pablo Contreras  (b. 1987) Mariachitlán (Mariachiland) is an orchestral homage to my birthplace, the Mexican state of Jalisco, where mariachi music originated. The work recounts my experience visiting the Plaza de los Mariachis in Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, a place where mariachis play their songs in every corner and interrupt each other to win over the crowd. In Mariachitlán, traditional rhythms such as the canción ranchera (ranchera song) in 2/4 time (choon-tah choon-tah), the vals romántico (romanticwaltz) in 3/4 time (choon- tah-tah), and the son jalisciense (Jalisco song) that alternates between 6/8 and 3/4 time, accompany original melodies inspired by the beautiful landscapes of Jalisco. Mariachi instruments such as the trumpet, harp, and violin are featured as soloists in this work. Furthermore, the strings emulate the strumming patterns of vihuleas, while the contrabasses growl like guitarrones. Near the end of the piece, a policeman blows his whistle in an attempt to stop the party. However, the crowd chants Mariachitlán, gradually increasing in intensity, and is rewarded with more vibrant music that ends the work with great brilliance. —Juan Pablo Contreras Mariachitlán won the 2016 Jalisco Orchestral Composition Contest and was nominated for a 2019 Latin GRAMMY Award for Best Arrangement. Many thanks to Esperanza Del Valle and Mariachi Tapatio for special performances directly outside the Civic Auditorium, following Mariachitlán by Juan Pablo Contreras. Esperanza Del Valle cultivates and promotes pride and understanding of the Mexican culture through its rich folkloric dances rooted in the merging of the Indigenous, European, and African heritages. Join them for an international folklorico dance and music conference held in Watsonville and Aptos, August 15-25, 2024. Learn more at Esperanzadelvalle. weebly.com. Mariachi Tapatio was founded with the intent to share the rich family tradition of authentic mariachi music with the San Jose Bay Area. For nearly 40 years Mariachi Tapatio, has been delighting audiences by developing a unique sound rooted in the traditions of mariachi music in Jalisco; they strive for musical innovation while still preserving the traditional mariachi style. Learn more at Mariachitapatio.org.