National Hispanic Heritage Month

It’s National Hispanic Heritage Month! Each year from September 15—October 15, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage month by celebrating the culture, history, and many contributions of Hispanic Americans whose ancestors came from Mexico, Spain, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Having started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the week was expanded to a month by President Ronald Regan in 1988 and made law on August 17 by approval of Public Law 100-402. The date of September 15 is important, as it signifies the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Additionally, the countries of Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence on September 16 and September 18, respectively.

In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Omaha Conservatory of Music Guitar Artist-Faculty member Andrew Stickman shared some background on Cuban composer Leo Brouwer, noted for his incredible contributions to the 20th century classical guitar repertoire:

“Born into a musical family in Havana, Cuba in 1939, Leo Brouwer began classical guitar at the age of thirteen and continued his studies in 1959 at the Hartt College of Music at the University of Hartford, and later studied composition at Juilliard.

Brouwer is THE ‘classical’ guitar composer of our time–he has composed 11 concertos for guitar, eight guitar duos, nine guitar quartets, a quintet for guitar and string quartet, five pieces for guitar and orchestra, books of études and preludes for guitar, and over 50 other works for solo guitar as well as composing five piano trios, three string quartets, a large number of chamber works and over 50 film scores.

Much of his music plays with colorful dissonance and sometimes jarring rhythms that make his music difficult to play. His compositional style was significantly influenced by Cuban folk music rhythms and aleatoric techniques. His compositions from the 1960s and ‘70s mostly reflect modern avant-garde elements such as indeterminacy. Many of his pieces, however, differ vastly stylistically, incorporating pop music elements and more standardized song forms. His compositions for guitar are staples in the repertoire throughout much of the world because of their forward thinking approach on the instrument. In fact, his 1990 ’Sonata for Solo Guitar’ is a piece that hopeful players must master if wanting to be the champion of International Competitions. Guitar historians may one day view his monumental impact as ‘Before Brouwer’ and ‘After Brouwer.'” —Andrew Stickman, Guitar Artist-Faculty

If you want to check out some of Brouwer’s music, you can scan this code in the Spotify app! Just open the search bar, click the camera icon, and point your phone at the barcode. (You can also search “Leo Brouwer” if scanning the code is giving you trouble.)

We recognize the achievements, contributions, influence, and importance of Hispanic Americans to the diverse culture and history of the United States, and we hope you’ll join us in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month by listening to and learning more about the incredible music composed and performed by Hispanic artists!