Composer Gabriela Ortiz.
In Wednesday’s (9/11) New York Times, Javier C. Hernández writes, “Gabriela Ortiz, 59, who will be Carnegie Hall’s composer in residence this season, has spent her life channeling the sounds and sensibilities of Latin America into classical music. For most of the past 40 years, this has been a lonely pursuit. Teachers said her works were too exotic. Critics bristled at her sprawling sonorities. Top orchestras passed her over in doling out commissions. But now, after a series of big breaks, Ortiz is thriving. Her music is being performed by leading ensembles in Berlin, London, Los Angeles and New York. She has won a stack of awards and secured representation by a prestigious publishing house. She has produced works of striking variety, including a ballet about violence against women in Mexico; a choral piece inspired by the story of an African revolutionary leader; a work honoring the composer Robert Schumann and his wife, Clara Schumann; and an ode to the ‘sound world’ of coral reefs. As her profile has risen, Ortiz has emerged as a prominent voice for change in classical music, arguing the field has been focused for too long on European masters…. Now Ortiz is entering a pivotal chapter of her career. At Carnegie Hall, she will unveil a series of new works.”
