PROGRAM NOTES GABRIELA ORTIZ born: December 20, 1964 in Mexico City
Téenek—Invenciones de Territorio (2017) composed: 2017 premiere: October 12, 2017 in Los Angeles Mexican composer and educator Gabriela Ortiz experienced a rich and diverse musical upbringing and education. Ortiz’s parents were founding musicians of Los Folkloristas, an ensemble formed in 1966, and dedicated to traditional music of Mexico and Latin America. Gabriela Ortiz studied at the Conservatoria Nacional de Música, the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, as well as The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and The City University of London. At the latter institution, Gabriela Ortiz completed her Ph.D. studies in electroacoustic music composition. Ortiz is a Professor of Composition at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and is a Visiting Professor at Indiana University. Gabriela Ortiz composed her orchestral work, Téenek—Invenciones de Territorio, pursuant to a commission from the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Music Director Gustavo Dudamel conducted the world premiere on October 12, 2017 at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Maestro Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic have also performed Téenek—Invenciones de Territorio as part of their touring repertoire. The work’s title, Téenek, refers to the language spoken in Mexico’s Huasteca region, as well as its indigenous people. But Ortiz’s Téenek—Invenciones de Territorio contemplates a world in which 14 program notes
borders disappear, leading to an existence in which people celebrate, and benefit from, each other’s heritage. In Téenek— Invenciones de Territorio, Ortiz conjures a wide range of musical styles and genres that blossom through interaction and development. The vibrant and brilliantly-scored work inspired Gustavo Dudamel to deem it “one of the most brilliant I have ever directed. Its color, its texture, the harmony and the rhythm that it contains are all something unique. Gabriela possesses a particular capacity to showcase our Latin identity.” Composer Gabriela Ortiz
