Azusa Pacific University Wind Ensemble: Huapango by José Pablo Moncayo

Huapango by José Pablo Moncayo
arr. Justin Freer & Abel Saldivar Ramirez
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Huapango was written in 1941 by José Pablo Moncayo, at the age of twenty-nine. A composer and conductor from Guadalajara, Moncayo was inspired by the folk-songs he collected while traveling the villages in Veracruz. It was during these excursions that he encountered this type of dance called Huapango. The name derives from the corruption of the Nahuatl word
Huapanco, which translates to “on top of the wooden plank,” a more loose translation, “on the dance floor.” His setting is based on three Huapangos he heard on his trip: El Siquisiri, El Balaju and El Gavilancito.
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Dr. Abel Saldivar Ramirez,​ Guest Conductor
Associate Professor of Music, Dr. Abel Saldivar Ramirez holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting from UCLA, an MME from Texas A&M University-Kingsville and a BME from the University Texas at San Antonio. Dr. Ramirez enjoyed a highly successful career as a Texas 5A high school music educator while employed by the Northside Independent School District from 1992-2000. In 2003, Dr. Ramirez was appointed Director of Bands, Head of Conducting Division, and Chair of the Instrumental Area at California State University, Los Angeles. In 2008, Ramirez was appointed Acting Director of Bands at the University Of Illinois School Of Music in Champaign-Urbana. He also served as an Assistant to the Director of Bands at the U of I from 2009-2012. Dr. Ramirez subsequently accepted an appointment as Assistant Professor of Music and Conducting for the Del Mar College Wind Ensemble in Corpus Christi, Texas.