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Music for the 'Archaeology of Memory' at San Antonio Museum of Art

Amalia Mesa-Bains: Queen of the Waters, Mother of the Land of the Dead: Homenaje a Tonatzin/Guadalupe, 1992
Courtesy of the artist and Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco
Amalia Mesa-Bains: Queen of the Waters, Mother of the Land of the Dead: Homenaje a Tonantzin/Guadalupe, 1992.

Dried lavender, chemistry beakers, crushed glass, lotería cards, oxygen cords, armoires, seashells, a First Communion gown, and family photographs... these are just some of the materials that Amalia Mesa-Bains has incorporated into her artwork over the past 45 years. The pioneering Chicana artist is currently featured in an exhibition now on display at the San Antonio Museum of Art called "Archaeology of Memory," and members of the Classical Music Institute programmed a series of works to match the room-sized installations at a concert held on Oct. 4, 2024.

"This evening's program is directly inspired by the themes of memory, culture and history that Bains so beautifully weaves into her work," explained violinist Brendan Speltz at the concert. "We want to bring you performances... that engage with [the] art and the space around us."

The concert's emotional peaks came from pieces by Juan Pablo Contreras and Robert Schumann. Contreras' "Silencio en Juarez," is a memorial to 15 teenagers who were gunned down in Juarez in 2010. And Schumann's Piano Quartet in E-flat is lyrical, introspective, and draws inspiration from memory.

Members of the group preview their concert live on KPAC 88.3 FM.
Nathan Cone
Members of the group preview their concert live on KPAC 88.3 FM.

Performers:
Brendan Speltz, violin
Daniel Anastasio, piano
Christine Lamprea, cello
Ramón Carrero, viola

PROGRAM:

  • Esteban Benzecry: Rapsodia Andina
  • Juan Pablo Contreras: Silencio en Juárez
  • Graciela Agudelo: Nostalgico
  • Gabriela Ortiz: Preludio y Estudio No. 3
  • Robert Schumann: Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 47
  • Olivier Messiaen: In Praise to the Immortality of Jesus