Hi Wishart:

 

Found this:  http://www.vocalessence.org/sites/default/files/Article_ChoralJournal2011.pdf

 

Three Mexican choral composers' names are mentioned in the article's intro; bet you could contact Philip Brunelle of VocalEssence for some quick info on other Mexican composers and their works.  Apparently he/they interviewed ten composers in Mexico City in, I think, 2007, for a special project on Mexican choral music.

 

Best,

 

Julia

Celebren publiquen by Manuel de Zumaya, a Mexican Baroque composer.  I was introduced to this at the Green Lake Choral Institute by Stephen Alltop of Northwestern University. 

 

Elizabeth Roghair

Santa Fe NM

Hello Wishart Bell,

Look at Oy es dia de placer  (http://www.waltonmusic.com/Sound13/OyEsDia/).  It was written by a Mayan Composer.

Good luck.  It sounds really fun.

Glenn Obergefell

Riverside HS Choir

Painesville, Ohio

"Las Amarillas" arr. by Stephen Hatfield is very difficult but a great one when you can pull it off. Here's a good version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JipRiki-rCg

Hi Wishart,

 

There is a wonderful CD by the Gregg Smith Singers that consists exclusively of music by Mexican composers. The title is "La Noche: Modern Mexican Choral Masterpiesces" Here's a link to some info about the CD on the singers.com site: http://www.singers.com/7526c/Gregg%20Smith%20Singers/La%20Noche/, which should display a list of the works and the composers.

 

There is also the Baroque Mexican composer Juan Gutierrez de Padilla (1590-1664). Peter Rutenberg has championed Padilla's music and Rutenberg's fine Los Angeles Chamber Singers has released several CDs of Padilla's music, including the following: http://www.singers.com/7569c/Los-Angeles-Chamber-Singers/Padilla--Music-of-the-Mexican-Baroque/  

 

Another CD that features 16th & 17th century Mexican works is the following by the Westminster Cathedral Choir conducted by James O'Donnell: http://www.singers.com/8107c/Westminster-Cathedral-Choir/Masterpieces-of-Mexican-Polyphony/

 

There is also Three Nocturnes (1942) by the pre-eminent Mexican composer, Carlos Chavez, as well as numerous other choral works by Chavez, including Nonantzin (Nahuatl text), SATB, 1972; Epistle (A. MacLeish), SATB, 1974; A Pastoral (N. Breton), SATB, 1974; Rarely (Shelley), SATB, 1974; The Waning Moon (Shelley), SATB, 1974; and Nokwik (Chávez), SATB, 1974.

 

Hopefully this will give you at least a sample of names of composers and works, which you might be able to listen to online or via YouTube.

 

Best of luck in your search!

John Muehleisen

http://www.vocalessencemusicpress.org/

 

A side project of Philip Brunelle's VocalEssence performing groups - this publishing house has a series of Mexican composers' works for sale and free teacher resource guides with pronunciation, lesson plans, etc - full disclosure, I was involved in the writing of those guides.

 

Good stuff for all ages.

La Paloma Azul by Carlos Chavez is wonderful: http://www.jwpepper.com/La-Paloma-Azul/1863273.item

 

If you need SSA repertoire, I composed a piece entitled "Victor, Catarina" on texts by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, a 16th century Mexican nun. http://www.waltonmusic.com/Sound7/24victor/

Thank you all for your suggestions.  The concert came off spectacularly.  I was able to find music suitable for the season.   We now have a relationship established with a local congregation of immigrants from Mexico, and will be planning another concert for 2014. These ideas will help develop that concert. Thanks again for sharing these titles.

 

 

Wishart Bell

Artistic Director, Musical Arts Indiana

(Vesper Chorale, Children's Choir of Michiana)

ACDA R&S Chair for Community Choirs, Central Division