Sonidos del Valle

The Rio Grande Valley of deep south Texas is full of culture and color. Its highest expression no doubt lies within the sphere of classical music, fostered and nourished for decades, at nonprofits and universities, supervised by masters and virtuosos from around the globe and the region itself.

The last few weeks I attended some magnificent symphonic concerts in Edinburg. I even played in a couple of small concerts in McAllen this past weekend, as part of my music career in the world of traditional Irish music, which I’ve been engaged in since 2022.

I grew up playing music at my church in McAllen. I loved it and learned a lot. For a few short years, I played in band, in middle school. During college and university, I didn’t pick up my instruments very often, here and there just to make sure I still had it. After graduation, I incorporated music with politics, becoming in effect a movement musician. I wrote songs and performed them at protests, recorded albums part of activism projects…