National Hispanic Heritage Month began on September 15 and is a month-long celebration of cultures rooted in Latin America. In honor of Hispanic Heritage and it’s deep musical tradition, let’s take a look at five classical composers who fuse the classical compositional style with that of their home countries and ancestry to create works for the concert stage and more.
Gabriela Ortiz (b. 1964)
Gabriela Ortiz is one of the leading composers of classical music out of Mexico today. She derives her music from the traditional European school as well as her Mexican musical roots. Ortiz began playing piano at nine and knew she wanted to be a composer by the time she was 15. Her career choice has undoubtedly served her well as she’s received commissions from some of the world’s top ensembles like the LA Phil, Kronos Quartet, Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra, The Royal Philharmonic and more. Her Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra Concierto Candela is particularly entrancing.
Teresa Carreño (1853-1917)
Teresa Carreño moved to the United States from Argentina when she was just eight years old. It was right around that time that she caught the ear of composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk. Gottschalk took her under his wing and helped her get her career off the ground. Carreño was best known in her life as a concert pianist. In fact, she was dubbed the “Valkyrie of the Piano” by many over her 54-year career. Her compositional output of 75 piano pieces is not vast but is gaining in notoriety today. We often play her Opus 1, The Gottschalk Waltz, on CapRadio.
Gabriela Lena Frank (b. 1972)
Gabriela Lena Frank is a Berkeley born composer of mixed heritage. Her mother is of Peruvian and Chinese ancestry, while her father has Lithuanian and Jewish roots. Currently, the Composer-in-Residence with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Frank’s multicultural background often inspires her compositions, and she says, “there’s usually a storyline” behind her music. Frank has also spent a lot of time studying Latin American culture. Pieces of note are Ritmos Anchino (Anchino Rhythms), Leyendas (Legends) and the Three Latin American Dances.
Silvestre Revueltas (1899-1940)
Silvestre Revueltas is regarded as one of the most important musicians in Mexican history. In addition to being a composer, conductor and violinist, Revueltas, like his mentor Carlos Chávez, was a big promoter of Mexican music to the world. Revueltas wrote music for film, orchestra, chamber ensembles and more. Today, he is probably best known for his score for the film La Noche de los Mayas or his orchestral tone poem Sensamayá. The 80th anniversary of Revueltas’ passing is on October 5.
Agustin Barrios (1885-1944)
Agustin Barrios was a guitar virtuoso as well as a prolific composer for the instrument. He would often pay homage to his native Paraguay by performing in traditional dress under the pseudonym “Nitsuga” — Agustin spelled backward. Barrios wrote poetry and more than 300 songs for the guitar. He is also one of the first classical guitarists to have made a recording of his performances. One of today’s most well-known artists, John C. Williams, said of Barrios’ work, "As a guitarist/composer, Barrios is the best of the lot, regardless of era. His music is better formed, it's more poetic, it's more everything! And it's more of all those things in a timeless way." A great place to start with Barrios is Williams’ recording of the reverential La Catedral. | 
