The Villalobos Brothers are a Mexican trio of
violinists,
singer-songwriters
A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted th ...
,
composers
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
, and multi- instrumentalists. They have performed at the
Latin Grammy Awards
The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been ...
,
Carnegie Hall, the
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often referred to as The Guggenheim, is an art museum at 1071 Fifth Avenue on the corner of East 89th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is the permanent home of a continuously exp ...
, the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
, the
60th Anniversary of the United Nations, the
Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center, the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
field at
Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium (), formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City. , and other historic venues.
They have accompanied and collaborated with artists including
Morley Morley may refer to:
Places England
* Morley, Norfolk, a civil parish
* Morley, Derbyshire, a civil parish
* Morley, Cheshire, a village
* Morley, County Durham, a village
* Morley, West Yorkshire, a suburban town of Leeds and civil parish
* M ...
,
Paloma San Basilio
Paloma Cecilia San Basilio Martínez (born November 22, 1950), known as Paloma San Basilio (), is a Spanish singer, songwriter, producer and actress. She was awarded with a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions to Latin musi ...
,
Paddy Moloney and The Chieftains,
Eddie Palmieri
Eddie Palmieri (born December 15, 1936) is an American Grammy Award-winning pianist, bandleader, musician, and composer of Puerto Rican ancestry. He is the founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive.
Early life
Pal ...
,
Graciela
Graciela (August 23, 1915 – April 7, 2010)
Accessed April 2010 was a Cuban-born American singer of Cuban music and ...
,
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
,
León Gieco
Raúl Alberto Antonio Gieco, better known as León Gieco (born on November 20, 1951 in Cañada Rosquín, Argentina) is an Argentine folk rock performer, composer and interpreter. He is known for mixing popular folkloric genres with Argentinia ...
,
Leni Stern
Leni Stern (born 28 April 1952) is a German jazz guitarist and singer.
Early life
Stern was born Magdalena Thora, in Germany on 28 April 1952. She was interested in music from an early age, beginning piano studies at the age of six and takin ...
,
César Camargo Mariano
César Camargo Mariano (born 19 September 1943) is a Brazilian pianist, arranger, composer and music producer.
Biography
Mariano was born in São Paulo. In June 1957 the American trombone player Melba Liston invited thirteen-year-old Mariano to p ...
,
Lila Downs
Ana Lila Downs Sánchez (born 9 September 1968
*
*) is a Mexican singer-songwriter. She performs her own compositions and the works of others in multiple genres, as well as tapping into Mexican traditional and popular music. She also incorporat ...
,
Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz
Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz are a Puerto Rican musical duo, consisting of Ricardo "Richie" Ray and Roberto "Bobby" Cruz. The duo was formed in 1963 and rose to fame in the mid-1960s. They are one of the most famous interpreters of 'salsa brava' m ...
,
Pierre Boulez, Alberto Vázquez,
Johnny Ventura
Juan de Dios Ventura Soriano (8 March 1940 – 28 July 2021), better known as Johnny Ventura nicknamed , was a Dominican singer and band leader of merengue and salsa. The merengue legend was a legislator of the Lower House between 1982 and 198 ...
,
Dan Zanes
Daniel Edgerly Zanes (born November 8, 1961) is an American former member of the popular 1980s band the Del Fuegos and is now the front man of the Grammy-winning group Dan Zanes and Friends.
History
Zanes's father was a teacher, as well as a p ...
and
Rafael Escalona
Rafael Calixto Escalona Martinez (May 26, 1926 – May 13, 2009) was a Colombian composer and troubadour. He was known for being one of the most prominent vallenato music composers and troubadours of the genre and for being the co-founder of the ...
. Their first solo album, "Villa-Lobos", was released in 2009.
Early years and education
Early years
The Villalobos Brothers were born and raised in
Xalapa
Xalapa or Jalapa (, ), officially Xalapa-Enríquez (), is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In the 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and the municipality of which ...
, Mexico, an hour away from the port city of
Veracruz
Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
. They spent their childhood listening to their grandmother, Cristina Vásquez play music for enjoyment after the work day, accompanying dancers at a country
fandango
Fandango is a lively partner dance originating from Portugal and Spain, usually in triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is usually bipartite: it has ...
, or playing for guests dining in the many coastal restaurants. The trio learned the violin at a young age, and soon learned to sing and play other instruments, including the guitar, the piano and the thin-bodied guitars by the name of
jaranas. They eventually moved on to specialize in classical violin and composition, which further developed into the creation of their own style of playing, called ''"Fast-Chatting Violin"''
which involves a rapid succession of notes and percussive sounds that imitate the human voice.
From 1990 to 2000 they studied classical violin with Carlos Marrufo Gurrutia, and composition and counterpoint with Eugeniusz Sleziak Kandora, Roberto Lira López, and Ryszard Siwy Machalica.
The Villalobos Brothers were considered child prodigies and had early soloist debuts with the Xalapa Symphony Orchestra playing the
Sibelius
Jean Sibelius ( ; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest composer, and his music is often ...
,
Brahms
Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...
, and
Saint-Saëns violin concertos. They also had solo appearances with the
National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba The National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba is the main institution dedicated to the performance of classical music in Cuba
History
Heir to the tradition of excellency established by its ancestor, the Havana Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Symp ...
, and the
National Symphony Orchestra of Peru.
Advanced musical studies
In 2000, the
U.S. Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other ...
awarded the eldest brother, Ernesto Villalobos, a
Fulbright Grant to carry out graduate studies at the
Manhattan School of Music,
where he studied with Patinka Kopec and Nils Vigeland. In 2001 he performed at Master Classes led by
Pinchas Zukerman
Pinchas Zukerman ( he, פנחס צוקרמן, born 16 July 1948) is an Israeli-American violinist, violist and conductor.
Life and career
Zukerman was born in Tel Aviv, to Jewish parents and Holocaust survivors Yehuda and Miriam Lieberman Zuk ...
and
Glenn Dicterow and travelled to
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
to study with
Shlomo Mintz
Shlomo Mintz (Hebrew: שלמה מינץ) (born 30 October 1957) is an Israeli violin virtuoso, violinist and conductor. He regularly appears with orchestras and conductors on the international scene and is heard in recitals and chamber music conc ...
.
The middle brother, Alberto Villalobos, left Mexico in 2002 and studied violin with
Igor Oistrakh
Igor Davidovich Oistrakh (russian: И́горь Дави́дович О́йстрах; uk, Ігор Давидович Ойстрах 27 April 1931 – 14 August 2021) was a Soviet and Russian violinist. He was described by ''Encyclopædia Brita ...
at the
Royal Conservatory of Brussels
The Royal Conservatory of Brussels (french: Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles, nl, Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel) is a historic conservatory in Brussels, Belgium. Starting its activities in 1813, it received its official name in 1832. Provid ...
for three years. He was later selected as a student by
Pierre Boulez at the
Lucerne Festival Academy The Lucerne Festival Academy is an orchestra-sized educational institution devoted exclusively to the interpretation and performance of contemporary classical music. It has taken place each summer since 2003 in the Swiss city of Lucerne as part of ...
in Switzerland. In 2003 he performed at Master Classes led by
Zakhar Bron
Zakhar Bron (russian: Заха́р Ну́химович Брон ; born 17 December 1947, in Oral, Kazakhstan) is a Russian violinist and violin pedagogue of Jewish, Polish and Romanian descent.
His students have included Vadim Repin, Gwendoly ...
.
In 2003 the youngest brother, Luis Villalobos, moved to Germany, where he studied violin with
Nicolas Chumachenco at the
Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
' (, plural: ') is the generic term in German for institutions of higher education, corresponding to ''universities'' and ''colleges'' in English. The term ''Universität'' (plural: ''Universitäten'') is reserved for institutions with the right to ...
. He was also accepted at the prestigious
Mozarteum University of Salzburg
Mozarteum University Salzburg (German: ''Universität Mozarteum Salzburg'') is one of three affiliated but separate (it is actually a state university) entities under the “Mozarteum” moniker in Salzburg municipality; the International Mo ...
in Austria.
Style and influences
Although the three Villalobos Brothers are classically trained on the violin, their music draws influence from many genres, including
Son Jarocho
Son jarocho ("Veracruz Sound") is a regional folk musical style of Mexican Son from Veracruz, a Mexican state along the Gulf of Mexico. It evolved over the last two and a half centuries along the coastal portions of southern Tamaulipas state an ...
(a musical style from their native city of
Veracruz
Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
). ''Jarocho'' describes the unique style as being created by the people and culture of the southern coastal plain of Veracruz, who for more than two centuries have shaped a distinctive regional music which intertwines fundamentals of Jazz, Rock and Blues.
Most of their original music features complex patterns of interwoven three-violin harmonies, intricate call-and-response arrangements and lyrical melodies carried out by one of the brothers as the other two reinforce it in counterpoint.
While touring in support of their album, Ernesto Villalobos noted, "Due to our training in different parts of the world, each brother brings something unique to the table: From my years in New York and Israel my violin playing style and technique are closest to the
Galamian, or American school. Alberto studied in Belgium under Igor Oistrakh, perfecting the Russian school and Luis followed the German school under Nicolas Chumachenco. But in the end these are of course only labels...We grew up together, making music together for many years in the tropics of Veracruz, Mexico"
In addition, The Villalobos Brothers have created their own signature style of violin playing called "Fast-Chatting Violin"
by incorporating elements of classical music, jazz and indigenous
Son Jarocho
Son jarocho ("Veracruz Sound") is a regional folk musical style of Mexican Son from Veracruz, a Mexican state along the Gulf of Mexico. It evolved over the last two and a half centuries along the coastal portions of southern Tamaulipas state an ...
and
Son Huasteco
Son huasteco is one of eight Mexican song styles and is a traditional Mexican musical style originating in the six state area of Northeastern Mexico called La Huasteca. It dates back to the end of the 19th century and is influenced by Spanish ...
, a genre extensively researched and embraced by Alberto Villalobos.
In 2009 he spent a year in the Huasteca region of
Veracruz
Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
recording and transcribing ''Sones Huastecos'' that have been verbally passed down for centuries from generation to generation and were in danger of being lost.
Carnegie Hall concerts
Joan and Sanford I. Weill Recital Hall
On ''October 23, 2005'' The Villalobos Brothers reunited in New York City for their debut recital at
Carnegie Hall.
The concert was also a sold-out benefit for The Shul of New York and included the following musicians:
Carlos Pereira ''piano and guitar'', Matt Snyder ''clarinet'', Kathleen Tagg ''piano'', Dave Hertzberg ''bass'', Ramón Ponce Jr.
''vihuela and guitarrón'', Ilmar Gavilán ''violin'', Humberto Flores ''guitar'', An Vanhauwaert ''violin'', Morley Kamen ''voice'', Adam Feder
''guitar'', Cristina Vásquez ''voice'', Yamani Fuentes ''flute'', Seth Ginsberg ''mandolin'', Daniel Sadownick ''percussion''.
Isaac Stern Auditorium / Ronald O. Perelman Stage
On December 17, 2006, The Villalobos Brothers were invited back to
Carnegie Hall,
this time leading the music program for Calpulli Mexican Dance Company's
production at the
Isaac Stern Auditorium involving over a hundred dancers and musicians and with the special participation of the Mariachi Academy of New York.
For this concert, the brothers premiered several original compositions, including "Anochipa Tlalticpac" for chorus, jaranas, and pre-Columbian percussion.
Notable guest musicians included: Pedro da Silva ''guitar'', Cristina Vásquez ''voice'', Nilko Andreas Guarin ''guitar'', Mauricio O'Reilly ''voice'', Martin Vejarano ''percussion'', Selene Muñoz ''voice'', Adam Feder
''voice'', Roman García ''voice'', Jocelyn Medina ''voice'',
Verónica Valerio ''harp and voice'' Todd Carter ''voice'', Yamani Fuentes ''flute'', Lilly Lavner ''voice'', Ramón Ponce Sr.
''trumpet'', Ramón Ponce Jr.
''vihuela'', Miguel Ponce
''guitarrón''.
Collaboration with Calpulli Mexican Dance Company
From 2006 to 2009 Ernesto Villalobos served as musical director of Calpulli Mexican Dance Company.
During these years, The Villalobos Brothers toured extensively with the company, performing with
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
at the
Festival of Nations at Dollywood, at Queens Theatre in the Park, Mayo Center for the Performing Arts,
Sarah Lawrence College,
Colgate University,
Museo del Barrio
El Museo del Barrio, often known simply as El Museo (the museum), is a museum at 1230 Fifth Avenue in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is located near the northern end of Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile, immediately north of the Museum of the City ...
,
Lehman Brothers Headquarters,
Elmira College
Elmira College is a private college in Elmira, New York. Founded as a college for women in 1855, it is the oldest existing college granting degrees to women that were the equivalent of those given to men. Elmira College became coeducational in a ...
and
Carnegie Hall.
Latin Grammy Appearance
The Villalobos Brothers appeared at
The 7th Annual Latin Grammy Awards.
They arranged and performed the music of Grammy winners:
Graciela
Graciela (August 23, 1915 – April 7, 2010)
Accessed April 2010 was a Cuban-born American singer of Cuban music and ...
,
Paloma San Basilio
Paloma Cecilia San Basilio Martínez (born November 22, 1950), known as Paloma San Basilio (), is a Spanish singer, songwriter, producer and actress. She was awarded with a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions to Latin musi ...
,
León Gieco
Raúl Alberto Antonio Gieco, better known as León Gieco (born on November 20, 1951 in Cañada Rosquín, Argentina) is an Argentine folk rock performer, composer and interpreter. He is known for mixing popular folkloric genres with Argentinia ...
,
César Camargo Mariano
César Camargo Mariano (born 19 September 1943) is a Brazilian pianist, arranger, composer and music producer.
Biography
Mariano was born in São Paulo. In June 1957 the American trombone player Melba Liston invited thirteen-year-old Mariano to p ...
,
Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz
Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz are a Puerto Rican musical duo, consisting of Ricardo "Richie" Ray and Roberto "Bobby" Cruz. The duo was formed in 1963 and rose to fame in the mid-1960s. They are one of the most famous interpreters of 'salsa brava' m ...
, Alberto Vázquez,
Johnny Ventura
Juan de Dios Ventura Soriano (8 March 1940 – 28 July 2021), better known as Johnny Ventura nicknamed , was a Dominican singer and band leader of merengue and salsa. The merengue legend was a legislator of the Lower House between 1982 and 198 ...
and
Rafael Escalona
Rafael Calixto Escalona Martinez (May 26, 1926 – May 13, 2009) was a Colombian composer and troubadour. He was known for being one of the most prominent vallenato music composers and troubadours of the genre and for being the co-founder of the ...
.
Critical reception and awards
Critical reception
The Villalobos Brothers have been acclaimed as violin virtuosos and one of the leading ensembles of world music.
Critical comments on The Villalobos Brothers include:
Following a November 12, 2006 concert at
Kaufman Center's Merkin Concert Hall in New York City, ''The Forward'' noted that "...they played with exuberant intensity for the appreciative audience...Ernesto returned his attention to his violin, his long, dark hair flying through the air as his bow raced across the strings....With their heads bowed as if in prayer, their fingers jumping and feet tapping, they weren't just playing music, they were living it..."
In 2009, their music was described as "High Octane Mexican Fiddling" by The New Victory Theater.
In 2007, they received the Tepeyac Association of New York's
"Leaders of the Future Excellence Award" and were congratulated by United States Senators
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senat ...
,
John Sabini,
Robert Menendez
Robert Menendez (; born January 1, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2006. Gale Biography In Context. A member of the Democratic Party, he was firs ...
, Congressman
Joseph Crowley
Joseph Crowley (born March 16, 1962) is an American politician and consultant who served as U.S. Representative from New York's 14th congressional district from 1999 to 2019. He was defeated by Democratic primary challenger Alexandria Ocasio-C ...
, Governor
Eliot Spitzer, Attorney General
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo ( ; ; born December 6, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cu ...
and other American politicians.
Awards
* 2011 – Bronze Medal for Best Documentary in the category of Social Issues at the New York Festivals International Radio Competition
* 2007 – Leaders of the Future Award presented by the Tepeyac Association of New York
* 2003 – Beca para Ejecutantes
Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes FONCA (National Fund for Culture and Arts of Mexico)
* 2000 –
Fulbright Grant awarded to Ernesto Villalobos by the
U.S. Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other ...
* 1999 – National Medal in Music awarded by the President of Mexico,
Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León
Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León (; born 27 December 1951) is a Mexican economist and politician. He was 61st president of Mexico from 1 December 1994 to 30 November 2000, as the last of the uninterrupted 71-year line of Mexican presidents from t ...
* 1997 – Gold Medal at the Fifth National Violin Competition
* 1995 –
TELMEX
Telmex is a Mexican telecommunications company headquartered in Mexico City that provides telecommunications products and services in Mexico. Telmex is still the dominant fixed-line phone carrier in Mexico. In addition to traditional fixed-line ...
Foundation Grant sponsored by business magnate and philanthropist
Carlos Slim Helú
Carlos Slim Helú (; born 28 January 1940) is a Mexican business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. From 2010 to 2013, Slim was ranked as the richest person in the world by the ''Forbes'' business magazine. He derived his fortune from hi ...
Discography
Solo
* The Villalobos Brothers, Villa-Lobos, 2009 (''self-titled album'') featuring: David Glukh, ''trumpet'', Oscar Rosales, ''trumpet'', Dave Hertzberg, ''bass'', Samuel Zabaleta, ''drums''.
Collaborations
* Hope Harris, Cousins Jamboree, 2010 (appear on), ''Holcomb Rock Road''
* The Chieftains featuring Ry Cooder, San Patricio, 2010 (appear with
Lila Downs
Ana Lila Downs Sánchez (born 9 September 1968
*
*) is a Mexican singer-songwriter. She performs her own compositions and the works of others in multiple genres, as well as tapping into Mexican traditional and popular music. She also incorporat ...
), Hear Music
* In Memoriam: Allen Klein, The Best...Is Yet To Come, 2009 (arrangements, appear on), ABKCO Records
* Dan Zanes, Nueva York, 2008 (appear on), ''Festival Five Records''
* The Shul Band, Instrumental, 2007 (appear on), ''Boom-Boom Studios''
* Morley, Days Like These, 2006 (appear on), ''Universal Music-France''
* Leni Stern, Love Comes Quietly, 2006 (collaboration with Adam Rudolph), ''Leni Stern Recordings''
* Soundtrack: Viva la Vida, 2006 (appear on), ''Bay Street''
* Vivian Farmery, Places, 2006 (appear on), ''Just Tell Advocacy''
* The Looking, Tin Can Head, 2005 (appear on), ''Astraea Records''
* Rene Hubbard, Chicavasco, 2005 (appear on), ''Rana Santacruz''
* Lilly Lavner, Walking Away, 2004 (appear on), ''K-Studios''
* The Shul Band,
Alive at the Shul of New York, 2004 (appear on), ''K-Studios''
* Eddie Palmieri, Ritmo Caliente, 2003 (appear on), ''Concord Records''
Movies and documentaries
Original soundtracks
* Oscar Frasser, ''El Águila Negra'', Original soundtrack composed by Luis Villalobos featuring tenor Román García, 2011 (compositions, arrangements, appear on), ''CUNY Short Films''
* United Nations Radio, ''Gender Equality And 15 Year-Olds'', Original soundtrack composed by Ernesto Villalobos featuring soprano Claudia Bianca Montes, 2010 (compositions, arrangements, appear on), United Nations Radio Unit, New York
* Caitlin McEwan, ''Moving Pictures'', featuring , Original soundtrack composed by Alberto Villalobos, 2009 (compositions, arrangements, appear on), ''12 Weeks 12 Films''
Instrumentalists
*
Richard Temtchine, a film writer and director, ''How to Seduce Difficult Women'', Original soundtrack by Pedro da Silva, 2009 (appear on), ''Quadrant Entertainment''
* , ''Harvest of Redemption'', Original soundtrack by Richard Martinez 2007 (appear on), ''Chapa-Perez Entertainment''
* ''
Buscando a Miguel'', Original soundtrack by Sebastián Cruz, 2007 (appear on), ''Hidden Eye Productions''
* John J. Valadez and Cristina Ibarra, ''The Last Conquistador'', Original soundtrack by Richard Martinez, 2007 (appear on), ''PBS Point of View''
Plays
* ''Zona Rosa'' a play by Carlos Morton directed by Michael Barakiva. Music performed by The Villalobos Brothers at Queens Theatre in the Park May 14, 2011
* ''
Desert Fathers
The Desert Fathers or Desert Monks were early Christian hermits and ascetics, who lived primarily in the Scetes desert of the Roman province of Egypt, beginning around the third century AD. The is a collection of the wisdom of some of the ea ...
'' a play by directed by Jenny Sullivan. Original music by Jerry Korman and The Villalobos Brothers.
* ''The Roses On The Rocks'' a play by
Ellen Boscov, directed by Richard Caliban. Original music by Rana Santacruz, performed by Alberto Villalobos
* ''Viva La Vida'' a play by
Diane Shaffer directed by Susana Tubert. Original music by Soundtrack: Viva la Vida, 2006 (appear on), ''Bay Street''
Other performances and collaborations
National Dance Institute
In June 2008 The Villalobos Brothers were featured as soloists at the National Dance Institute's Event of the Year "Volando a México". This series of concerts involved over 200 dancers and musicians and told the story of two Mexican-American children living in New York City who fly to Mexico for the first time. This series was directed by Jenny Seham and the musical director was Jerry Korman. As part of this same event, they were also invited to appear in a short film by NDI's Artistic Director
Jacques d'Amboise, ''The Children of the Roses''.
Collaboration with Dan Zanes
On January 17, 2008, The Villalobos Brothers accompanied Grammy-winner Dan Zanes as part of Blue Country Heart: The Music of Hank Williamswith
Jorma Kaukonen
Jorma Ludwik Kaukonen, Jr. (; ; born December 23, 1940) is an American blues, folk, and rock guitarist. Kaukonen performed with Jefferson Airplane and still performs regularly on tour with Hot Tuna, which started as a side project with bass ...
,
G.E. Smith
George Edward Smith ('' né'' Haddad; born January 27, 1952) is an American guitarist. Smith was the lead guitarist for the duo Hall & Oates during the band's heyday from 1979 to 1985, playing on five number one singles. After Hall & Oates went ...
, Little Toby Walker,
Larry Campbell
Larry W. Campbell (born 28 February 1948) is a Canadian politician that served as the 37th mayor of Vancouver, Canada from 2002 until 2005 and since 2005 has been a member of the Senate of Canada.
Before he was mayor, Campbell worked for th ...
,
Marc Anthony Thompson,
David Spelman David Spelman (born 1966 in Washington, D.C., United States) is an American, New York-based, record producer and curator working in recordings, films and live events
Early life
Spelman was educated at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins Uni ...
, Sonia de los Santos
and
Barry Mitterhoff in a historic concert at
Kaufman Center's Merkin Concert Hall in New York City.
Later that year, they also toured the West Coast of the US with him as part of the show Holiday House Party With Dan Zanes and Friends, making stops at the
Moore Theatre
Moore Theatre is an 1,800-seat performing arts venue in Seattle, Washington, United States, located two blocks away from Pike Place Market at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Virginia Street. It opened in 1907 and is Seattle's oldest active theater ...
,
Mondavi Center Jackson Hall,
Herbst Theatre
The Herbst Theatre is an auditorium in the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in the Civic Center, San Francisco. The 928-seat hall hosts programs as diverse as '' City Arts & Lectures'', SF Jazz, and San Francisco Performances.
Architect ...
, and ending with a three-week residency at the
New Victory Theater
The New Victory Theater is a theater at 209 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, near Times Square. Built in 1900 as the Republic Theatre (also Theatre Republic), it was designed by Albert Westover an ...
on Broadway. As part of the tour The Villalobos Brothers played and sang Holiday music from their native Veracruz, and also shared the stage with
Dan Zanes
Daniel Edgerly Zanes (born November 8, 1961) is an American former member of the popular 1980s band the Del Fuegos and is now the front man of the Grammy-winning group Dan Zanes and Friends.
History
Zanes's father was a teacher, as well as a p ...
, Palestinian Arabic-jazz buzuq player
Tareq Abboushi, drummer
Colin Brooks, English designer and director Julian Crouch, Mexican guitarist and vocalist Sonia de los Santos,
accordionist/saxophonist John Foti, renowned tap dancer
Derick K. Grant, bass player Saskia Sunshine Lane, fiddler/trumpeter Elena Moon Park, vocalist
Basya Schechter, and Palestinian percussionist/composer Zafer Tawil.
The Shul Band: Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camps
The Villalobos Brothers have been frequent collaborators of The Shul Band,
a
klezmer band led by Adam Feder.
In 2005 Ernesto Villalobos and Adam Feder led a candlelit vigil at the children's barracks inside the
Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum
The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum ( pl, Państwowe Muzeum Auschwitz-Birkenau) is a museum on the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Oświęcim (German: ''Auschwitz''), Poland.
The site includes the main concentration camp at Auschwi ...
as part of
Bernie Glassman
Bernie Glassman (January 18, 1939 – November 4, 2018) was an American Zen Buddhist roshi and founder of the Zen Peacemakers (previously the Zen Community of New York), an organization established in 1980. In 1996, he co-founded the Zen Peace ...
's Bearing Witness Zen Peacemakers retreat 2005 in
Oświęcim
Oświęcim (; german: Auschwitz ; yi, אָשפּיצין, Oshpitzin) is a city in the Lesser Poland ( pl, Małopolska) province of southern Poland, situated southeast of Katowice, near the confluence of the Vistula (''Wisła'') and Soła rive ...
, Poland.
Town Hall Theater
On November 30, 2004, Ernesto Villalobos gave a soloist performance at
The Town Hall Theater in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
. This performance was the world premiere of ''La Promesa del Guerrero'' a symphonic piece written and performed by Ernesto Villalobos featuring tenor Mauricio O'Reilly. Ernesto was commissioned by conductor
Alondra de la Parra
Alondra de la Parra (born October 31, 1980) is a Mexican conductor.
Biography
De la Parra was born in New York City, the daughter of Manelick de la Parra, a writer and editor, and Graciela Borja, a sociologist and educator. Her father was a fil ...
and her orchestra, the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas. This 20-minute composition, was based on a poem by Manelick de la Parra, and it narrates the ''nahua'' legend of the
Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl
Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl refers to the volcanoes Popocatépetl ("the Smoking Mountain") and Iztaccíhuatl ("white woman" in Nahuatl, sometimes called the Mujer Dormida "sleeping woman" in Spanish) in Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National ...
mountains outside
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
. The concert marked the closing night of the 2004 Celebrate MexicoNOW! Festival organized by Claudia Norman ''(November 30th, 2004)''
References
External links
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*
The Villalobos Brothers on iTunesThe Villalobos Brothers on BandCampThe Villalobos Brothers on CD Baby*
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The Villalobos Brothers' Official MySpace WebsiteThe Villalobos Brothers on Sonicbids
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Chamber music groups
Contemporary classical music ensembles
Mexican folk music groups
Mariachi groups
Mexican pop music groups
Mexican rock music groups
Rock en Español music groups
World music groups