Dr. Hurtado wins the Morelia Composition Competition for Orchestra
Dr. José Luis Hurtado, Prof. of Music Theory and Composition at the UNM Department of Music, won the National Morelia Composition Competition for Orchestra / Concurso de Composición Orquestal de Morelia, in Mexico.
The announcement was made on December 15th, 2023, where his piece “Solar Mass” was selected by the jury among 60 anonymous entries. The prize includes a monetary award and several performances by Mexican Orchestras during 2024.
“Solar Mass” is an 8:30 minute work for orchestra, written in a single block of music which gradually develops, without pauses, until it explodes, creating a dense block of sound, full of energy and dramatic dynamic contrasts that disperse in an immense space.
The Concurso de Composición Orquestal is a local government initiative that reaffirms the city of Morelia as UNESCO’s “Ciudad Creativa de la Música”, and as one of the most important cultural centers of the country.