At a glance
ORCHESTRATION
3.3.3.3 - 4.3.3.1 - timp; 3 perc - pno; hp - str
YEAR COMPOSED
2022
DURATION
11'
PREMIERE
May 7, 2022, at The Smith Center in Las Vegas, United States, by the Las Vegas Philharmonic, conducted by Donato Cabrera
COMMISSION
Via New Music USA’s Amplifying Voices Program, by: Las Vegas Philharmonic (lead commissioner), Donato Cabrera; Richmond Symphony, Valentina Peleggi; Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Carlos Miguel Prieto; California Symphony, Donato Cabrera; Tucson Symphony Orchestra, José Luis Gomez; Fresno Philharmonic, Rei Hotoda.
Program Note

MeChicano (a mash-up of Mexican and Chicano) is the first piece that I write as a Mexican-American composer, having finally become a United States citizen after living in this country for the past 15 years. The work commemorates my journey to becoming a MeChicano, and celebrates the Mexican-American communities that have flourished in the U.S. In the 1980s, Mexican-Americans became increasingly prominent in the U.S., particularly in border states. One of the ways in which these communities started to find a sense of pride and belonging was through music. They organized Saturday Night Dances where Mexican-American orquestas (dance bands) would play music that synthesized Mexican and American styles. These gatherings were crucial in forging a sonic and cultural Chicano identity. MeChicano is musically structured like a Saturday Night Dance performance. The band leader (the orchestra’s principal trumpet) plays a solo to warm up the audience, while the ensemble “tunes” their instruments. Once they’re ready to play, a drum fill signals the start of the dance and the orchestra takes us through a “setlist” of original tunes that reimagine a Chicano pop song, a Rock n’ Roll groove, a Mexican waltz, a Tejano polka, and a Cumbia. The clarinet and drums play prominent solos in this piece, while the French horn, trombone, and tuba get to “sing” like Chicano-band frontmen. MeChicano is a tribute to Mexican-Americans.
—Juan Pablo Contreras
March 2022