Jesus J. Martinez: The Monarch Migration

My wings are fragile. My goal in sight. Many will no longer take flight. I fearfully and fearlessly plummet across the deep unknown. Like a monarch, I spiral through nature’s fury Leaving behind a home I used to know. My wings endure divergent winds. Fresh air. Free air. Life anew.

-Mother -

The Monarch Migration utilizes eight tuned desk bells with string quartet. Growing up in South Texas, in walking distance from the US-Mexico border, my grandfather was a rancher and used to take me on routes that were connected to Mexico. The only indication of the two countries meeting were several small boulders with a metal inscription on top that read “United States-Mexico Border.” There were no walls or rivers spreading the two countries apart. I used to climb on the boulder, trying to see as far as I could. In the distance, I saw three very small silhouettes of what looked to be standing churches. All three were distant from each other, but visible to me. I could hear the faint sounds of the bells ringing after mass. The desk bells represent the distant bells that were heard as people crossed these border lines. This piece is dedicated to the immigrant people at the center of US Border crisis in South

Texas, and inspired by the poem Taking Flight, composed by Rosy Martinez. Like many minority artists in the United States, my heart breaks for the immigrant people and their detained children as their life is at a standstill at the South Texas border. The Monarch Migration details the heartbreak, as well as the power of the human spirit and its fight for a better life.

−Jesus J. Martinez

Claude

Debussy’s String Quartet has become one of the most beloved pieces in the repertoire because of its stunning beauty, textural variety and harmonic expression. Tearing away from the academic tradition and decrees of conservatory training, the young composer decided to live and write “solely for pleasure”, focusing on the sole purpose of beauty. The Paris Universal Exhibition of 1889 provided an eye opening experience for the Frenchman where he spent days absorbed by the music of non-Western performers, composers, artists and improvisers. To that end, Debussy’s masterpiece exists as an example of the finest fusion cuisine - blending the foreign sounds and textures with the finesse of French style.

Commended for leaving audiences “ mesmerized by its resonant sound ” (The Collegiate Times), the Julius Quartet has cultivated a distinguished voice since its formation in 2012. As passionate chamber musicians, the quartet strives to spread the values of chamber music to diverse communities in addition to presenting their unique expression within the music. The quartet’s expressive personality has led to performances all over North America in various venues such as Bing Concert Hall, Bargemusic, the Shalin Liu Performing Arts Center, The Moss Arts Center, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. Since the ensemble’s formation, the group seeks to engage with community organizations and educational programs, such as “Bridging the Gap” - a program for youth at risk associated with The Salvation Army - and educational residencies with the MacPhail Center for Music (MN) and the Quad City Arts Visiting Artist Series (IA), enriching the various regions through performance workshops and interactive sessions across multiple school districts. In the Spring of 2020, the quartet and Texas composer Jesus J. Martinez founded EMERGE Coalition, Inc. (EMERGE): a performing arts nonprofit based in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. With a mission to foster, develop and engage in the arts community, EMERGE has virtually hosted composers from around the world and premiered over 50 new works that were live-streamed to audiences across 5 continents. Furthermore, its new OFF the Beaten Path Performance Series was selected to be a part of the 22/23 season of the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Elevator Project. Swiftly rising to critical acclaim, the group was awarded First Prize at the Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition, First Prize at the first annual MA-ASTA String Quartet/Quintet Competition by unanimous vote, and was nominated for the Harvard Musical Association’s Arthur Foote Award. Residing in Dallas TX, the quartet served as the Peak Fellowship Ensemble-in-Residence at the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University from 2017-2019, receiving close mentorship from violinist Aaron Boyd, Director of Chamber Music at SMU, and members of the Escher String Quartet. Prior to this appointment, the quartet served as the Graduate Quartet-in-Residence at the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University, where they worked intensely with the celebrated Shanghai Quartet.

Hallie Martinez is a Junior at Sharyland Pioneer High School in Mission, TX. She is a member of BPA - Business Professionals of America and HOSA - Future Health Professionals. She is a native of Mission, TX, near the US/Mexico border. Her artwork is a personification of her family history as her grandparents immigrated to the United States from Mexico in the late 1960’s. Her art work, Life Anew, American Dream, and Streets of Gold will be featured at the Tear Down These Walls concert at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, Wyly Theater in February 2023.

Graphic designer Hyun Yeong Lee is a visual artist who resides in Daegu, South Korea. Recently, Hyun Yeong completed a degree in graphic design from Konkuk University Global Campus and her works can regularly be seen throughout the city of Daegu and other locations.

Richard Miller was born in Baltimore, MD and was the first in his family to attend college, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Printmaking from the Maryland Institute College of Art. From there, Richard continued his studies, earning a Master of Fine Arts degree from Texas Christian University.

While at TCU, Miller spent two years at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, later moving on to the Amon Carter Museum where over the next 14 years he worked with their Publications Department. While at the Carter, Miller began his teaching career which now spans over 30 years in both Art History and Studio disciplines. In recent years, Richard Miller has been involved in numerous juried and group exhibitions, collaborative projects, as well as mounting two major solo exhibitions. Richard was one of 34 artists selected from over 650 entries in the prestigious Art in the Metroplex Juried Exhibition held in Fort Worth. Miller was also one of 5 finalists for the DFW Art Awards, Abstract Artist of the Year.

Richard Miller is an active participant in the DFW art community and is a member of the Texas Artist Coalition, the Texas Visual Arts Association and the Visual Arts Society of Texas.

A Texas native with a master’s degree in Music Composition from Southern Methodist University, Jesus Martinez has served as Composer-in-Residence for both the Alabama Orchestra Association and the Irving Symphony Orchestra. He has scored award-winning films, and the Texas State Legislature issued a resolution in his name to honor his world premiere of “Threnody for 9/11 for Mixed Chamber Ensemble.” Martinez previously composed “The Sixth Floor,” which premiered at the 30th anniversary of The Sixth Floor Museum on February 18, 2019. In November 2019, Martinez was commissioned by The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza to compose a film score for the 16-minute film compilation of familiar and seldom seen footage. The score “3 Hours in Dallas,” was performed live to the film by the Sam Houston High School Percussion Ensemble on the eve of the 56th anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination. Jesus is a three-time quarterfinalist for the GRAMMY