Promesa
Family history brought to music. Two musical minds in collaboration across generations. For string quartet and soprano.
Peruse the score
To request or purchase scores email sedarskimusic@gmail.com.
The Untold Story
There is no way to talk about this my new work Promesa without talking about my great-grandfather, Luis Rice. Almost half a century ago, he composed a song entitled Valz Esther to profess his undying love for his wife, Esther. Now, his love was actually controversial at the time. He had asked for Esther's hand in marriage a total of three times. The third time he was met with a shotgun to chase him away. Nonetheless, he persisted, eventually eloping secretly with his beloved.
Every generation since has known the infamous Valz Esther. Luis passed the song down to his son Humberto, and Humberto passed it to his daughter Rebeca, my mother, who passed it down to me. I learned it as a young pianist, and I fell in love.
A recording of Valz Esther with soprano Olivia Gorra and pianist Jim Demster. This recording was a gift to my grandfather after he was named Alumni of the Year from El Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey
“Quiéreme, quiéreme mucho mi bien que el destino al fin sellará esta unión”
Translation: Love me, love me, my love, so at last, destiny will seal this union
With the first draft I gave my composition teacher, he stopped, looked at me, and said: “You don’t know what you’re doing, do you?” Truth be told, I really didn't. I wanted to make a piece that incorporated my great-grandfather's work, but I didn't want to just reiterate what he had already done in an arrangement. I needed to make it my own. Great artists steal, right? In any case, after about 4 more drafts, I think I brought the piece to a palatable place for my composition teacher and I'm so excited to share it with you. It's a passionate piece, and working on it has connected me to my family in more ways than one.
Creating Promesa
“You don’t know what you’re doing, do you?”
This piece is fully mine, and yet, it's fully my family's as well. First and foremost, this piece is about unconditional, undying love that promises your beloved the world. My work explores floating spaces and open instrumentation, which accumulates to a climax of voices moving and working together with musical material taken from my great-grandfather. For me, this piece is the preservation of music composed almost half a century ago, an homage to my great-grandfather and my grandfather, and an immense reminder that true love is possible. This piece is dedicated to my grandfather Humberto Rice who passed away from Covid earlier in 2020. Te quiero abuelito.
Watch the world Premiere performace
Presented by Juventas New Music Ensemble for their program Source Code
