Composer - Clarinetist
La Sombra del Pájaro (2017) - for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Piano, and Percussion
Commissioned by the University of Houston AURA Contemporary Ensemble; Rob Smith, Director
Premiered by the AURA Contemporary Ensemble; Alaina Diehl, Roberto De Guzman, Matthew Madonia, Andrew Cavazos, Xueer Chen, Zachary Luftop, and Rob Smith
Duration: ca. 9 1/2 minutes
Commissioned by the University of Houston AURA Contemporary Ensemble for In Search Of, a collaboration concert with the University of Houston Hispanic Department, La Sombra del Pájaro is based on the sixth part of Cristina Rivera Garza’s work, Raro Es El Pájaro Que Puede Atravesar. The movement, titled an impossible world far down below, three blurred spots over the pagescape, like walking or crawling or climbing, perhaps praying–the fleeting shadow of the bird, lists several border cities between the United States and Mexico. The reader is given instructions on how to read the border cities in a way that depicts the setting and addresses the challenges countries face in relating to each other.