World premiere of a new symphony for wind band by Arturo Márquez
The landmark commission of Sinfonía Nómada, as part of the Mexican Repertoire Initiative at Dartmouth, is led by the Hop in partnership with over 40 peer institutions
Arturo Márquez is one of Mexico’s most important living cultural figures and among the most influential composers working today. Photo courtesy of the artist
The Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble will present the world premiere of Sinfonía Nómada, a new Hop-commissioned symphony for wind ensemble, by preeminent Mexican composer Arturo Márquez on May 23, on the Graves Stage in Spaulding Auditorium. Composed of three movements and spanning 23 minutes, the piece explores the themes of migration and nomadic culture. Sinfonía Nómada is Márquez's first large-scale work for stand alone wind ensemble.
Led by Dartmouth Director of Bands Brian Messier, the project marks a major artistic collaboration between the Hop and many partners across the country. In a landmark creative partnership led by the Hop, the work was commissioned through a consortium of universities and institutions, including The President's Own Marine Band, The Eastman School of Music and Yale University. It marks the expansion of the Mexican Repertoire Initiative and is the most ambitious and multilateral musical commission for a Dartmouth Resident Ensemble.
Founded in 2022 by Dartmouth Director of Bands Brian Messier, the Mexican Repertoire Initiative creates, supports and expands the reach of new repertoire by Mexican composers through international partnership and educational exchange. The initiative is led by the Hopkins Center in partnership with the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). The initiative has commissioned over 20 new works, led to over six international musical exchanges, and grown to include a network of over 90 US and Mexican institutions.
Joining the ensemble as guest conductor is Luis Manuel Sánchez and five student artists from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in a continuation of the longstanding partnership between both institutions as part of the Mexican Repertoire Initiative.
Sinfonía Nómada (Nomadic Symphony) is a work centered on migration, approached not as a single narrative but as a series of perspectives. Across its three movements, the symphony moves from the natural world to the human experience, ultimately confronting one of the most urgent issues of our time: immigration. Framing the entire work is a recurring batucada-inspired rhythmic language that opens each movement and returns with heightened meaning in the finale, where its character is revealed in full.
Widely regarded as one of Mexico's most important living cultural figures and among the most influential composers working today, Márquez's music has become part of Mexico's cultural identity and is performed regularly by leading orchestras around the world. His Danzón No. 2 is often referred to as the second national anthem of Mexico. Comparable to Astor Piazzolla's role in Argentine music, Márquez has established a modern precedent for integrating traditional and popular Mexican musical forms into contemporary concert music in ways that are both authentic and widely embraced. His approach has inspired countless composers across the Americas, including many of the pioneering composers supported by the Mexican Repertoire Initiative at Dartmouth.
"It is exceptionally rare for a composer of Márquez's international stature to write a large-scale work for wind ensemble and to undertake a university residency of the kind he is doing at Dartmouth," said Messier. "A composer of his standing has not written an original symphony for wind band in 75 years. All these elements make this moment both distinctive and significant at a national level."
This collaboration underscores the Hop's expanding international partnerships in the arts.
"Beyond his extraordinary achievements as a composer, Márquez has had a profound influence on generations of artists through his mentorship and artistic leadership at UNAM," said Mary Lou Aleskie, Howard Gilman '44 Executive Director of the Hop. "Through our growing partnership with UNAM, we are honored to uplift Mexican composers and forge new opportunities for their work to resonate in Mexico and across the Americas."
The partnership also reflects a broader belief in music's capacity to bring people together. "What the initiative is doing is unify—because that's what art and music are about—unifying humanity and finding those points of coexistence where we meet," said Sanchez, Director of the Banda Sinfónica de la Facultad de Música de la UNAM.
During his time on campus, Márquez will engage with Dartmouth and UNAM students as well as Dartmouth leadership.
The concert will take place Saturday, May 23 at 7:30 pm, with a program entitled A Portrait of Arturo Márquez. Tickets are available online. The performance will also be livestreamed for free on the Hop website.
The evening will feature the Dartmouth Chamber Players performing Márquez's Danzón No. 1; the Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble performing his Conga del Fuego with guest conductor Luis Manuel Sánchez; and the Improbable Quartet performing his Rumba Fugata. The program will also include the world premiere of Sinfonía Nómada and the world premiere of Marcha Sonora: Aurora del Norte, featuring a new arrangement by Messier for wind ensemble.
Preceding the concert will be a free discussion between Messier and Márquez at 6 pm in the Top of the Hop.