Chicago, IL (Top40 Charts/ Sones de Mexico Ensemble Official Website) The
National Association of
Latino Arts & Cultures (NALAC) announced its 2012 grant award recipients for the NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA), which includes a NALAC/Metlife Artistic
Excellence Award for Sones de Mexico Ensemble. This $5,610 grant is made possible with support from the Metlife Foundation. The NFA awards support the best in
Latino artistic production and presentation of work in diverse communities across the nation. NALAC is the only national grant program specifically for the
Latino arts sector. It has awarded over $1 million to over 300
Latino artists and organizations across the U.S., Mexico, and Central America.
Sones de Mexico Ensemble will use the funds to support a weekly Spanish-language radio program entitled, "La Hora del Son" (One Hour of 'Son'), a syndicated, one-hour broadcast focusing on Mexico's rich and diverse folk music heritage. Some of the regional styles that will be heard include "son jarocho," "huapango," "gustos," "chilenas," "claves yucatecas," and sones de marimba. The show will feature rare and unique music recordings from the personal collections of the members of Sones de Mexico Ensemble and interviews with master musicians. Each episode will also include two special segments: Rincón Poético (poetry corner)—an exploration of oral folklore, such as proverbs ("refranes"), poetry ("décimas," "seguidillas," "coplas"), riddles, etc., and Geografía Musical de México (a musical geography of Mexico)—a spotlight on different cultural regions and their distinct musical styles. The show will be hosted by Sones de Mexico Ensemble's master fiddler Juan Rivera.
Juan Rivera says, "As a musician, I think producing and doing research for this show is a great opportunity for me to gain more knowledge about the music I play. I love to learn about traditional Mexican music and its musicians, composers, rhythms, styles, and of course, its origin and its influences it has on other cultures."
Through these radio shows, Sones de Mexico Ensemble hopes to extend the reach of its mission: "to promote greater appreciation of Mexican folk and traditional music through innovative performance, education, and dissemination" by reaching out to new and diverse communities nationwide through radio. La Hora del Son will serve to expose new audiences to the appreciation of "son" and to increase the diversity of quality material offered on the airwaves and on the Internet.
