ERIC ESTRADA VALADEZ
Composer

Northampton's Little Chilango (2023)

Instrumentation:

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violin and piano 

Duration: ca. 10'​

During the summer of 2023, I made a trip to visit my sister and nephew in Northampton, a small town an hour away from London, while simultaneously working on a commissioned piece for the Joel Hoffman's Composition Academy at the Korea International Arts School (KISA) in Seoul, Korea. Working outside my usual studio setting posed several challenges: no access to a piano, the need to compose in hotel rooms and airports, and the difficulty of trying to concentrate on composing amid the playful interruptions of a 3-year-old toddler who constantly yelled a mix of English and Spanish. In response to these experiences, especially those of composing with my nephew nearby, I chose to compose a lighthearted and innocent piece for him. The composition is a mosaic of the locations and people that made up my physical and aural environment during those weeks, and in particular I seek to capture the essence of my nephew’s energetic nature, which occasionally borders on the chaotic. This piece is a heartfelt dedication to my him, a “chilango” (a person from Mexico City) in Northampton.

Commissioned by the Joel Hoffman Composition Academy and the KISA International Music Festival

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Performance History:​

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Premiered at Korea International Arts School in Seoul, Korea on July 2023​

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Performed at the TUTTI International Music Festival in Granville, Ohio on March 2023

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Performed at the University of Houston Moores School of Music on April 2024

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Performed at Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum in Alexandria, Virginia on February of 2025 

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Awards: 

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 Winner of the 2024 Art Music Society Call for Scores

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