SONES DE MEXICO ENSEMBLE SELECTED TO REPRESENT THE U.S. AT THE 2008 WORLD FOLK SONG FESTIVAL IN BEIJING
Sones de Mexico Ensemble chosen to represent the U.S. at the 2008 World Folk Song Festival at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Monday, October 6, and Tuesday, October 7, 2008. Read PRESS RELEASE
MUSICAL THEATER—Victor G. Pichardo, Sones de Mexico Ensemble's music director, worked as Music Director for a production of Esperanza Rising, the story of a wealthy Mexican girl in the 1930s who is forced to work in a migrant labor camp in California when tragedy strikes, and she and her mother must flee to California. The play is a production of the Chicago Children's Theatre playing from July 12 to August 10 at the Goodman Theater, 170 N Dearborn St, in Chicago. It is appropriate for everyone ages 8 and up, an based on the book by Pam Muñoz Ryan, adapted by Lynne Alvarez, and directed by Henry Godinez. For a schedule and tickets click here.
Thanks to a new distribution through Ryko Disc, the CD "Esta Tierra Es Tuya (This Land Is Your Land)" is now available in record stores including Borders, Waldenbooks and Barnes & Noble, and other retail outlets in the U.S. It's also available through Amazon.
Watch a new videos of Sones de Mexico Ensemble. Visit our YouTube Channel click here.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> MAY 2008 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
COMPOSITION PREMIERE—Victor G. Pichardo, Sones de Mexico music director won the Walter A. Horban Composer Competition with "Alegoría Yaki" a symphonic piece based on the traditional music of Mexico's indigenous Yaki tribe. The award was presented by The Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest who debuted the piece last May.
COVER STORY—Sones de Mexico Ensemble was featured on the April/May 2008 issue of Dirty Linen. Look for a cover story by Chris Heim, one of the best ever written about the band. Buy it at your nearest Borders or Barnes & Noble Bookstores or click here to order.
AWARD RECOGNITION—In a special ceremony on May 15, Sones de Mexico Ensemble members accepted the Connecting Cultures Award from Changing Worlds, a non-profit arts education organization in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, directed by Mark Rodriguez. Read Juan Dies' acceptance speech here.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> APRIL 2008 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
CLASSICAL ESCAPADE—Sones de Mexico Ensemble performed a memorable show and artistic collaboration with a piano quartet of the Chicago Sinfonietta formed by James Sanders - violin, Terrance Gray - violin, Robert Fisher - viola, Edward Moore - cello, and Don Neale - piano. Click these links to watch our YouTube videos for Sones de Mexico Ensmeble's version of Huapango by Jose Pablo Moncayo and Albricias by Victor Pichardo
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> MARCH 2008 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
MUSIC FOR KIDS—On Sunday, March 16, 2008 Sones de Mexico Ensemble sat-in on a couple of tunes with new friend, Children's entertainer Dan Zanes (2007 Grammy Award winner for Best Musical Album for Children) and his band during their show at Chicago's Harris Theater.
PEER RECOGNITION—Sones de México Ensemble gratefully acknowledges a Folk Alliance Award nomination for World Music Artist of 2007 from the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> FEBRUARY 2008 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Uno, Dos...
Sones de Mexico Ensemble lands a second major accolade from the Recording Academy with a GRAMMY Nomination
Photo by Jonas Friddle
After being nominated for a Latin GRAMMY for Best Folk Album of 2007 just a few months ago, Sones de Mexico Ensemble lands a 2008 Grammy Nomination for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album with "Esta Tierra Es Tuya (This Land Is Your Land)."
Contenders for the category include star celebrities Vicente Fernandez, Pepe Aguilar, Cristian Castro, and Paquita la del Barrio. Sones de Mexico Ensemble rises as the only Independent artist (not affiliated with a record label) in the category, based in Chicago U.S.A.
The 50th Annual GRAMMY® Awards were held at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday, February 10, 2008, on CBS. The award for "Best Mexican Album" went to Pepe Aguilar!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> JANUARY 2008 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
DOCUMENTARY FILM—Victor G. Pichardo, Sones de Mexico music director, was a consultant for a video documentary: "Hecho En Paracho," a film about a unique community in Mexico where guitars are made and played. He and his son Yahvi Pichardo traveled with the production crew to Paracho, Michoacan, known as the guitar capital of Mexico. Victor also composed some original music for the film. See an interview with the filmmakers and a preview here. The film's broadcast premiere aired on WTTW on January 20 and has been subsequently screened at the Chicago Latino Film Festival on April 4 and 6, and Chicago's Casa Michoacan on June 14. For more information about this film go to www.hechoenparacho.com or call Javier Vargas 773-407-5441 or Juan Carranza 773-407-7193 of J&J Productions.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> DECEMBER 2007 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
COMPOSITION PREMIERE—The Chicago Latino Composers—On Sunday, December 2, The MAVerick Ensemble played “Machina Deus” a composition by Victor Pichardo (Sones de Mexico Music Director) as well as other works by Chicago Latino Composers including Guillermo Gregorio, Sergio Assad, Fareed Haque, Juan Campoverde, and Osvaldo Golijov at the Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center. The MAVerick Ensemble was led by Jason Raynovich, with special guests Fareed Haque (guitar) and Guillermo Gregorio (clarinet).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> NOVEMBER 2007 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Sones de Mexico Ensemble at the
8th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards in las Vegas, NV
November 8, 2007
Well, Sones de Mexico Ensemble did not bring home the award for the Latin GRAMMY for Best Folk Album of 2007, but it sure was an exciting time for the band regardless. The award went to “Un Fuego de Sangre Pura” by Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto of Colombia, produced by a good friend of the band, Dan Sheehy of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings: well-deserved and long overdue (it's their 7th nomination and their 1st win!).
MUSIC EDUCATION IN MADISON, WIS—The Overture Center for the Arts hosted Sones de México Ensemble on November 25-30, 2007 in Madison, Wisconsin for a week-long residency during which thousands of children, parents and teachers immersed themselves into Mexican music, dance and culture. To learn more about Sones de Mexico’s educational programs visit our Education Page.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SEPTEMBER 2007 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
RADIO INTERVIEW—isten to an interview with Zacbé Pichardo about the many styles of Mexican harp and a solo performance on Radio M, hosted by Tony Sarabia on Chicago's WBEZ 91.5FM. Aired on Friday Sepember 28 at 9pm CT. Listen to the archive now.
RADIO INTERVIEW—Juan Dies was interviewed by Peter Standring for National Geographic World Music Profiles about the new CD. Listen to the podcast here (mp3) or here (iTunes)
IRISH-MEXICAN COLLABORATION—Los San Patricios—Sones de México Ensemble is working on a project with Irish fiddler Sean Cleland and musicians Jesse Langen, Brian Hart and Jessica Ziegler of the Irish Music School of Chicago to commemorate the San Patricios, a volunteer army of Irish-American anti-expansionists who fought heroically alongside Mexico in the Mexican American War (1846-1848). This cross-cultural joint ensemble was showcased in a public performance at the Chicago Cetic Festival on September 2007 and is looking for more outlets to present this program in public in the future. Presenters please contact us. NOTE: Cleland participated with Sones in the recording of “The Irish Washer Woman” featured at the end of “Huapango Medley” on Sones de Mexico’s CD Fandango on 18th Street.
NPR RADIO FEATURE—The Western Folklife Center’s Deep West radio story Immigrant Song aired on National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition on Sunday, September 16, 2007 features Dies speaking about "Esta Tierra Es Tuya (This Land Is Your Land)" his arrangement of Woody Guthrie's classic on Sones de Mexico Ensemble's new CD. You can hear the story on the Western Folklife Center's website.
MEXICAN MUSIC CLASSES—Sign up for Mexican music and dance classes at The Old Town School of Folk Music. Every Tuesday night Victor Pichardo teaches Mariachi Ensemble at 6:30pm and Fandango Jarocho at 8pm. To register for either of these 8-week classes visit www.oldtownschool.org or call 773-728-6000.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> AUGUST 2007 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
SUMMER RESEARCH—In the summer of 2007 Juan Dies completed two field reserach projects in Western U.S. with financial support from the National Endowment for the Arts and other funders. Mosaico Latino, comissioned by the Idaho Comission for the Arts was a survey of Latino artists in the State of Idaho that identified over 150 community contacts and profiled the work of more than 40 artists. Beyond Borderlands, was comissioned by the Western Folklife Center, producers of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. This was a study of Mexican cowboy culture as it exists today in Idaho, Nevada and Oregon. The project involved the preparation of two Mexican corrido contests in Nampa, Idaho and Woodburn, Oregon, respectively. Listen here to podcast for the Nampa contest. Details about this project were covered by The New York Times and The Oregonian Radio Bilingue and other media outlets.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> JUNE 2007 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
MEXICAN-CHINESE COLLABORATION—In June 2007, Sones de México recorded “Pochoteca Caravan" a collaborative composition project produced by the Silk Road Project which brought Sones de Mexico together with the Chinese ensemble Yellow River Performing Arts formed by Janice Yang, gu zheng; Brent Roman, yangqin; and Guang Long Li, erhu. Sones de Mexico explored the Chinese influence in Mexico, and Victor Pichardo was inspired by the story of traveling Chinese merchants in Mexico to compose the first and third movements of this piece. The producers were Andy Russ and Kojiro Umezaki. The recording will be accessible in a future release by Sones de Mexico.
