Globalization

Symphony orchestras are no exception to today's rapidly evolving musical traditions. Orchestra audiences are growing more sophisticated and fascinated by different sounds. Exotic sounds. New sounds that may be rooted in thousand year-old cultures.

Latina composer Alice Gomez is blazing a path in creating new and culturally diverse symphonic works. Drawing on the vibrant Tejano culture of her native state, she is introducing American symphony orchestras to one-of-a-kind gems.

The folk traditions

She has effectively mined the folk traditions of her Latino and Mexican Indian roots with evocative pieces such as "Primitive Echoes, Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra".

Tejano music

She introduced the work of Tejano crossover star Emilio to different orchestras through her ground-breaking arrangements for the San Antonio Symphony Pops.

In this decade, Gomez has broadened opportunities for orchestras by creating a repertoire which has garnered four ASCAP Composer's Awards.

And now, Musiquest is making her unique works available to the orchestra world.

Alice Gomez, a faculty member at San Antonio College, began performing as a drummer in her father's dance band at the age of eight. She currently teaches basic composition, percussion, world music, and Latin jazz.

Musical styles of the world have always fascinated her. Besides groundbreaking works in the Latino and Native American genres, her compositions also reflect various world cultures, including those of Africa, Asia, Bosnia, and Israel.

The multi-talented composer is a consistent presence in the Adult Alternative music market. Her native flute recordings and library of orchestral compositions all draw heavily from Latino and Native American folk traditions, and from a powerful sense of world justice.

As Composer-in-Residence with the award-winning San Antonio Symphony from 1993-1996, Gomez brought the orchestra closer to the San Antonio community. Now she wants to bring the power of her compositions to your audience.

About Alice Gomez' Compositions

More about Alice at The Alice Gomez Website

Musiquest Executive Director Marilyn Rife is Principal Percussionist/Assistant Principal Timpanist with the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra. She is also instructor of percussion at Trinity University and St. Mary's University, both in San Antonio, Texas.

In November 1992, Marilyn was featured as soloist with the Winters Chamber Orchestra in the world premiere of Primitive Echoes, Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra, by Alice Gomez. The work, written for Marilyn, was subsequently performed by the San Antonio Symphony.

"...the infectious rhythms bypassed thought to resonate on a primal level, unlocking the sort of mystic reaction that surfaces every time I hear Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring"."
Diane Windeler, San Antonio Light
on Primitive Echoes, Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra

More about Marilyn at The Marilyn Rife Website