Arturo Márquez

Arturo Márquez
Born (1950-12-20) December 20, 1950
Álamos, Sonora
Genres Orchestral music
Occupation(s) Composer

Arturo Márquez (born 20 December 1950) is a Mexican composer of orchestral music who uses musical forms and styles of his native Mexico and incorporates them into his compositions.[1]

Life

Márquez was born in Álamos, Sonora, in 1950 where his interest in music began. Márquez is the first born of nine children of Arturo Márquez and Aurora Márquez Navarro. Márquez was the only one of the nine siblings who became a musician. Márquez's father was a mariachi musician in Mexico and later in Los Angeles and his paternal grandfather was a Mexican folk musician in the northern states of Sonora and Chihuahua. Because of Márquez's father and grandfather, he was exposed to several musical styles in his childhood, particularly Mexican "salon music" which would be the impetus for his later musical repertoire.

He started composing at the age of 16 and then attended the Mexican Music Conservatory where he studied piano and music theory from 1970 to 1975. Subsequently, he studied composition from 1976 to 1979 with Federico Ibarra, Joaquín Gutiérrez Heras and Héctor Quintanar (Miranda 2001). Subsequently, in the U.S., he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and obtained a MFA in composition in 1990 from California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California (Miranda 2001).

The Danzones are based on the music of and the Veracruz region of Mexico. Danzón no. 2 was included on the program of the Simon Bolívar Youth Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel on their 2007 tour of Europe and the United States. It has also opened the door for the discovery of other pieces by the composer that are increasingly being performed throughout the world and extensively in Latin America. Son a Tamayo for harp, percussion and tape was featured at the 1996 World Harp Congress.

He lives with his family in Mexico City.

Awards

Márquez has been the recipient of several prestigious awards and honors. Márquez was awarded the National Arts and Sciences (Premio Nacional de Artes y Ciencias) award of Mexico by President Felipe Calderón on December 14, 2009. In February 2006, he made history when he became the first musician to receive "La Medalla De Oro De Bellas Artes de Mexico" (Gold Medal of Fine Arts of Mexico), one of Mexico's most coveted award for career accomplishments in the fine arts. Other awards have included the Medalla Mozart (awarded by the Austrian embassy), Medalla Dr. Alfonso Ortiz Tirado, California Institute of the Arts Distinguished Alumnus Award, Unión de Cronistas de Música y de Teatro, and many others. In 2000, the German public paid homage to the composer at a concert in his honor in Berlin.

Márquez has also been honored at several musical festivals throughout Latin America where his music has been performed extensively and has obtained a large following. In 2005, the Arturo Márquez International Music Festival was commenced in Caracas, Venezuela in honor of the composer. In 2014, Márquez was honored as Composer-in-Residence during the Caribbean Tour of YOA Orchestra of the Americas. His Danzones are increasingly being used for ballet productions throughout the world. Although regarded by many as a controversial composer for his use of Latin American styles in his compositions, he is a popular composer among the Latin American public and is widely recognized as one of the most important and admired Mexican composers of his generation.

Music

References

  1. ↑ (Mexico), Sociedad de Autores y Compositores de Música; (Mexico), Fondo de Cultura Económica (1996–1998). Diccionario de compositores mexicanos de música de concierto, siglo XX. Sociedad de Autores y Compositores de Música. ISBN 9681656474. OCLC 36270381.
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