Special thank you to City of San Antonio, Stable Hall and H-E-B for their generous support of this program.
In partnership with Me-Chicana songwriter Azul Barrientos, this program illuminates a profound personal journey that explores independence, love, and family as pillars of growth and experience. Join Azul and Agarita for an evening of musical arrangements blending original compositions with classical masterpieces, crafting a narrative of hope, isolation, reflection, acceptance, and celebration.
Program
Traditional | El Cascabel | Arr. José Luis Irizarry
John Adams | Road Movies | Relaxed Groove
Los Cojolites | Son del Mar | Arr. José Luis Irizarry
Azul Barrientos | Agua Viajando | Arr. José Luis Irizarry
Andrea Casarrubios | Piano Quintet | Abundance | Lullaby
Maurice Ravel | Une Barque Sur L’Ocean
Azul Barrientos | Arruyo Para Mi Refugio | Arr. José Luis Irizarry
Ernest Bloch | Nocturne No. 2
Ariel Ramirez/Feliz Luna | Antiguo Dueño De Las Flechas | Arr. José Luis Irizarry
Azul Barrientos | Gracias Vida | Arr. José Luis Irizarry
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AZUL BARRIENTOS,
Folklorist | Artist
Azul Barrientos is a musician dedicated to observing and conserving the cultural influences and interconnections between Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Mexico.
Born in Mexico City, Azul moved to San Antonio, Texas as a young woman, where she developed a reputation for building bridges between Mexicana and Chicana cultures. Her career has focused on preserving traditional songs from Latin America and exploring their diverse musical histories.
As the daughter of two musicians in Mexico City, Azul was introduced to Latin America's traditional and folkloric songs at an early age. This legacy drives her passion for reviving lost cultural traditions and sharing each song's unique history
Azul rejoices in her Latina roots, giving new life to the rhythms and stories of previous generations.
Featuring
ELISA NIVON, Violinist
Elisa is a dedicated violinist and a member of the National Symphony of Mexico (OSN), also serving as a Suzuki Method violin instructor. Born and raised in Kyoto, Japan, Elisa commenced her musical studies at a young age at the Talent Education Institute of the Suzuki Method. She earned a bachelor's degree with an honorific mention from the Superior School of Music (ESM - Prof. Vera Silantieva) in Mexico City.
Currently, she is pursuing a Master of Music in performance under the renowned Dr. Nicole Cherry at the University of Texas at San Antonio, alongside furthering a Pedagogy certificate. Elisa initiated her orchestral career at the age of 10, playing with "Concertino di Kyoto Jr," "Concertino di Kyoto," "Kyoto Jr. Symphony Orchestra," "Morelos Chamber Orchestra," "Mineria Symphony Orchestra," and the "National Symphony Orchestra."
She has received several awards, including second place and honorable mention, in Mexican national chamber music competitions as a duo for piano and violin. Having collaborated with renowned musicians such as Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Vadim Gluzman, Viktoria Mullova, Yuja Wang, Pablo Ferrández, Pablo Sáinz, and Plácido Domingo, Elisa has performed in prestigious concert halls worldwide, including venues in Mexico, Germany, Austria, China, and Japan. As an active performer, she has received numerous invitations to participate in significant musical projects, including Netflix film recordings, popular music collaborations, and TV appearances such as Amazon Original Series “Mozart in the Jungle,” Mexican Artistic Channel “Canal 11,” and the Rock Festival “Vive Latino” in Mexico City with the Mexican band Zoe.
In 2024, Elisa excelled in the UTSA soloist competition, where she performed Ravelʼs “Tzigane” alongside the UTSA orchestra this February. Perusing innovation on the music stage, she showcased a unique blend of art, culture, and spirituality by performing Bachʼs “Chaconne” with Folkloric dancers during her graduate recital. In addition to her performance career, Elisa is a passionate teacher dedicated to music outreach in underdeveloped towns in Mexico. With interests ranging from healthy cooking to fitness, and various ball sports like tennis, she aspires to serve her community in a holistic manner.
Program Notes
"CASCABEL" ( Rattle)
Traditional Mexican Folklore
Verses by Azul
This traditional Son Jarocho song from Veracruz captures the essence of Mexican folklore and the joy of communal music-making within the rich cultural heritage of Mexico.
John Adams is an American composer with countless awards, including multiple Grammys and a Pulitzer. His music is rooted in the style of minimalism, but also takes from other genres such as rock and blues. About his work Road Movies for violin and piano and specifically the first movement Relaxed Groove, Adams writes: “After years of studiously avoiding the chamber music format I have suddenly begun to compose for the medium in real earnest. (...) A breakthrough in melodic writing came about during the writing of The Death of Klinghoffer, an opera whose subject and mood required a whole new appraisal of my musical language. The title ‘Road Movies’ is total whimsy, probably suggested by the ‘groove’ in the piano part, all of which is required to be played in a ‘swing’ mode (second and fourth of every group of four notes are played slightly late). Movement I is a relaxed drive down a not unfamiliar road. Material is recirculated in a sequence of recalls that suggest a rondo form.”
“SON DEL MAR” (Song of the Sea)
Written by Los Cojolites
A beautiful tribute to the sea and the deep connection we share with it.
"AGUA VIAJANDO" (Water’s Journey)
Written and Translated by Azul Barrientos
This song is a heartfelt prayer of gratitude to water, honoring it as a life-giving force and a symbol of ancestral connection.
Lyrics:
Water, as you journey on,
Thank you, ancestral connection,
For making it all the way here.
Water, as you run along,
Thank you, primordial pulse,
For coming this far.
You are a reflection of all life,
Radiant immensity.
Water, as you sing along,
Thank you, crystal light,
For making it all the way here.
Water, as you carve your way,
In your flow, you carry truth,
Thank you, immensity.
You are rivers, you are rain, you are the sea,
Radiant clarity.
Water, that is in motion,
Water, that sings as it flows,
Stagnant water does not sing
Spanish-American composer Andrea Casarrubios is no stranger to Agarita’s programs. Her music is lush, expressive, tangible and relevant, and she continues to build her range of compositions each year. Her Quintet for Piano and Strings (written in 2023) is her first exploration for this set of instruments. About the work as a whole, Casarrubios writes that the quintet “attempts to evoke a remarkable variety of the natural world surrounding Carmel-by-the-Sea, and, by extension, the varying states of our own emotional world – determination, fear, celebration, sorrow – set against an intuited, all-encompassing stillness.” Regarding the the movements featured on this program, Casarrubios writes that the Lullaby “is tender and intimate, but it is a lullaby hummed to soothe onself. Abundance is inspired by the flourishing ecosystems found along California’s Central Coast. The music embraces the richness of life, expressed in vibrant melodies, rhythmic vitality, and lush harmonies, echoing the power of the waves and cliffs.”
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was one of the most well-known French composers, but not always entirely well-loved. The same year he wrote Une Barque Sur l’Ocean or A Boat on the Ocean (1905), he was rejected for the third time from France’s Prix de Rome, whose previous winners had included Berlioz, Gounod, Bizet, Massenet and Debussy. In any case, the set Miroirs (Mirrors) for which Une Barque Sur l’Ocean is a centerpiece, revered as one of the most important impressionistic works of the 20th century, and one of the most imaginative, poetic, and technically nuanced works for the piano literature. Une Barque is as the title describes. Waves of arpeggios spanning the entire keyboard ebb and flow throughout the work as a lonely ship embarks on a challenging journey. The entrancing ocean is serene and then tempestuous, but ultimately the ship returns to its patterned flow. There is a sense of vulnerable isolation that permeates the movement.
"ARRULLO PARA MI REFUGIO" (Lullaby for My Refugio)
Written and Translated by Azul Barrientos
This song is a deeply personal reflection on the bond between a mother and her child, imagined from the perspective of a fetus inside the womb singing this lullaby to her mother. It’s a tribute to the love, care, and connection that begins even before birth, capturing the journey of life and the unbreakable bond that forms between mother and child.
Lyrics:
Dear Mother, I’m traveling
I have arrived from my star
You welcome me with your whole being
Thank you, my refuge
You care for me and feed me
Your body has become
My cocoon and sustenance
Life and transformation
Sleep, Mama, I'm here now
Watching over your dreams.
Feeling your love and connection
Is a blessing for me
Safe in your center
Helps my evolution
Every cell in me
Embodies perfection
I float, Mama
Inside you,
Playing with the grandmothers.
Darkness surrounds my being
And I feel all your love
My senses are asleep
But I feel your heartbeat
I can't see or smell
But I vibrate with your voice
I'm going to be born, Mamacita
And I will care for this beautiful life
With gratitude, I honor
Your greatest offering of love
Love without end
And in any dimension
The bond is already made
Forever, and ever infinite love
Forever, and ever infinite love.
Ernest Bloch (1880-1959) was a Swiss-American composer with an incredible stylistic range. Many of his more famous works (Schelomo, the Israel Symphony, From Jewish Life, etc.) are inspired by Jewish themes. However, he also explored harmonies and sounds from the impressionistic style popular with French composers at the turn of the century, and his Nocturne for Piano Trio leans more in this direction. It is a gentle, open-hearted display of lyricism, as the three instruments take turns singing tender phrases with a sense of gratitude and wonder. The music gains passion and intensity, but ultimately reclines into a state of placid reflection.
"ANTIGUO DUEÑO DE LAS FLECHAS" (Ancient Owner of the Arrows)
Written by Ariel Ramirez and Felix Luna
This piece reflects the struggles and resilience of indigenous peoples, expressing a deep reverence for their traditions and the landscapes they inhabit. It’s an invitation to reflect on the passage of time and wisdom of those who came before.
"GRACIAS VIDA" (Thank You Life)
Written and Translated by Azul Barrientos
This song celebrates the quiet beauty of life's simple wonders—like the stillness of silence, the growth of plants, the brilliance of stars, and the life-sustaining flow of water. It also acknowledges the profound inner workings of our hearts and minds, which allow us to experience and appreciate life.
Lyrics:
I Come on a Moonlit Night
To sit with grandmother
To talk without words
And to listen to the stars
I bring doubts, I bring sorrows
And thoughts that entangle
She calmly looks at me
And guides me toward old memories
I’m learning to live
To observe and to appreciate
Without ties, without fear
Without deception or banners
Without betraying myself
I surrender and move forward
Our gazes descend
We cleanse ourselves of traps
Suffering dissolves
Flow, flow, heal the soul
Grandmother soothes us
In sacred harmony
With her voice of earth and water
Song of the serpent and life
And when I can let go
With gratitude in my soul
My heart flies free
There are no barriers, no bonds
And with every breath I feel
That love that is the greatest thing in life
Thank you, breeze that caresses
Thank you, water that refreshes
Every tree and little plant
And the life they grant
I feel the pulse of the earth
And the love
That overflows in me
Thank you, beautiful grandmother
For reuniting me with my mother
Thank you, Wind, Fire, Water
Thank you, Earth, Life, and Death
Thank you, Sun, thank you, Moon
Thank you, dancing stars
Thank you, past and present
Thank you, life, for calling me
Thank you, parents, for raising me
Thank you, great spirit, for filling me
Thank you, ancestors, for guiding me
Thank you, life, for loving me