.News
Artist Residency at the Visby International Centre for Composers in August
I am very much looking forward to 3 weeks in August at the Visby Centre for Composers (VICC) in the town of Visby located on the island of Gotland off of the coast of Sweden. I will be composing a new work for stellar mezzo soprano Rachel Calloway and the excellent Amernet string quartet for premiere in January. More about VICC here
Gingold Chamber Music Festival Composition Institute
Looking forward to my work as faculty and director of the inaugural Gingold Chamber Music Festival Composition Institute. The Festival runs from July 10 – 30 at Barry University in Miami. Joining me are Chen Yi and Chinary Ung and a group of very talented composers. The festival also boasts some incredibly talented students and a performance faculty headed by virtuoso violinist Andres Cardenas. More here
Premiere of my new work by the Orquesta de Camara de Bellas Artes and guitarist Jaime Marquez in Mexico City
I was extremely pleased with the premiere performances in Mexico City of my work imagenes de viento, llluvia, y sonidos cristalizados, performed by the Orquesta de Camara de Bellas Artes, classical guitarist Jaime Marquez, and artistic director Luis Manuel Sanchez conducting at the Sala Manuel Ponce in the Palacio de Bellas Artes on June 22 with a repeat performance on June 25 at the Sala Silvestre Revueltas in the Conservatorio Nacional. A big thanks to them and to maestro Ludwig Carrasco for his interest and support for the project. The performances were exceptional and the audience response was extremely positive. More
Week long artist residency at the Betsy Hotel on Miami Beach in March
It was a great pleasure to spend time in the writers room at the Betsy Hotel on Ocean Drive the first week of March. The residency allowed me the time to complete the new work for String Noise Duo being premiered by them as part of the New Music Miami Festival on April 5 and subsequently in NYC. Very grateful for the opportunity at a wonderful place to work.More here
a gamelan in the distance as performed by Chen-Hui Jen aired on WUSF/WSMR’s Modern Notebook program
a gamelan in the distance performed by Chen-Hui Jen was aired on WUSF/WSMR’s Modern Notebook program featuring host Tyler Kline. The music was part of the September 11th evening edition. The recording by Chen-Hui Jen is available on bandcamp here
Bethany Arts Community Spring 2022 Multidisciplinary Residency
I will be in residence at Bethany Arts Community in Ossining, NY from May 2-15. During my time there I will be working on a new piece for the Madrid based Nuevo Ensemble de Segovia for premiere in the fall of 2022. This will be the 3rd work I complete for the ensemble written over the last 10 plus years as they celebrate 25 years of existence.
Interview in I Care If You Listen re my new work for Ensemble Pi on the theme of social justice
The online new music journal I Care If You Listen recently published an interview with me regarding my work impulso/momentum premiered as part of a concert with the theme of social justice featuring the NYC based Ensemble Pi. I am very grateful to ICIYL for allowing me the opportunity to present my views on my work, the text I created for the work, and the subject/theme for the concert. The interview can be accessed here
Walter Hinrichsen Award in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters
I am extremely honored and humbled to have received the 2022 Walter Hinrichsen Award in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. This award was established by the C. F. Peters Corporation, music publishers, in 1984, and is given for the publication of a work by a gifted composer. I am very much looking forward to having my music included in the catalog of this extremely important and historic publisher and am very grateful to the committee. More here
Premiere of new work in NYC by Ensemble Pi
On March 2 the New York City based Ensemble Pi will be premiering my new work impulso/momentum for baritone voice and chamber ensemble. The work commissioned by the ensemble will be part of a concert on the theme of social justice. More information here
5th Latin Grammy Nomination in the Best Contemporary Classical Composition Category
I am extremely humbled and honored to have received my 5th Latin Grammy Nomination in the best Contemporary Classical Composition Category. I am in great company with some great works and composers nominated. More here
recent
Artist Residency at the Visby International Centre for Composers in August
I am very much looking forward to 3 weeks in August at the Visby Centre for Composers (VICC) in the town of Visby located on the island of Gotland off of the coast of Sweden. I will be composing a new work for stellar mezzo soprano Rachel Calloway and the excellent...
Gingold Chamber Music Festival Composition Institute
Looking forward to my work as faculty and director of the inaugural Gingold Chamber Music Festival Composition Institute. The Festival runs from July 10 - 30 at Barry University in Miami. Joining me are Chen Yi and Chinary Ung and a group of very talented composers....
Premiere of my new work by the Orquesta de Camara de Bellas Artes and guitarist Jaime Marquez in Mexico City
I was extremely pleased with the premiere performances in Mexico City of my work imagenes de viento, llluvia, y sonidos cristalizados, performed by the Orquesta de Camara de Bellas Artes, classical guitarist Jaime Marquez, and artistic director Luis Manuel Sanchez...
Week long artist residency at the Betsy Hotel on Miami Beach in March
It was a great pleasure to spend time in the writers room at the Betsy Hotel on Ocean Drive the first week of March. The residency allowed me the time to complete the new work for String Noise Duo being premiered by them as part of the New Music Miami Festival on...
a gamelan in the distance as performed by Chen-Hui Jen aired on WUSF/WSMR’s Modern Notebook program
a gamelan in the distance performed by Chen-Hui Jen was aired on WUSF/WSMR's Modern Notebook program featuring host Tyler Kline. The music was part of the September 11th evening edition. The recording by Chen-Hui Jen is available on bandcamp here
reviews
Reviews in Mexico re the premiere of my work imagenes de viento, lluvia, y sonidos cristalizados
For those of you that read Spanish, there are 3 wonderful articles that came out in the press in Mexico about my work imagenes de viento, lluvia, y sonidos cristalizados (images of wind, rain, and crystallized sound) premiered June 22 by the Orquesta de Camara de...
Review in Scherzo of the premiere of oscuro sobre luz blanco sobre rojo at the COMA Festival in Madrid, Spain
A recent review of the premiere of my work oscuro sobre luz blanco sobre rojo can be found in the Spanish Scherzo journal. The review in Spanish by distinguished composer, writer, and one of Spain's leading cultural figures, Tomas Marco, cited that the work...
The Spacious Music of Orlando Jacinto Garcia blog post by the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra
This past April, Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra Board Member Kris Kautzman gave his impressions of my music after listening to Orlando Jacinto Garcia Orchestral Music Volume 2 on Toccata Classics. In the article the music was described as lyrical and minimal while...
All About the Arts includes Metier release as one of top Instrumental albums in 2021
Rafael de Acha states in his year end All About the Arts Blog: Orlando Jacinto García’s music spins continuously while minute changes of texture and tone happen imperceptibly in a METIER release to which one must listen attentively, the rewards then to be derived...
Review in La Folia of my string quartet album on Metier
Let us not obsess over the fact that Garcia studied intently with Feldman. (See here for a 2003 release.) Some of the gestures are similar, and Garcia also likes to explore minimalist eddies where a few ideas or pitches are gently tumbled. But this composer is also...
articles
Why References?
When I was in graduate school in the early and mid 1980s, I had the good fortune to work with an Asian American composer and teacher at the University of Miami named Dennis Kam. At that time he was very much involved with the idea of musical stasis or a music that by...
What is Art Music?
As we enter the next century the music world can seem a bit confusing. Twenty five years ago what was considered the Western Art music canon consisted of music from either Antiquity or the Renaissance through the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and into the 20th...
Teaching Composition: Some General Thoughts
Teaching someone to compose is impossible! We all know that Bartok said it and refused to teach composition. My mentor Feldman taught composition but always claimed you couldn’t do it, for which he was often criticized by students. His now somewhat famous response to...
Boola Boola Revisited
Slightly more than 15 years ago, soon after finishing my doctoral studies, I had the great fortune of studying with Morton Feldman for 3 intensive weeks. These sessions proved to have a great impact on my career as a composer and pedagogue and I was fortunate to be...
Another Approach to Electroacoustic Music
At times I find myself feeling somewhat out of place at some of the electroacoustic music events where my work is presented. This is not because I do not find this genre of interest or because I am not pleased with my work or that of my colleagues, but because my...