Many ghost stories utilize themes of apparitions and haunting to elicit terror, warning listeners to abide by moral codes. However, since 2007, a phenomenon of Mexican corrido (ballad) composition, which I define as ghost smuggling ballads, shares a collective ghost story meant to elicit hope, narrating transborder encounters with the ghost of Saint Toribio Romo, an apparition who smuggles undocumented migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border. Saint Toribio, also called the Holy Coyote (Smuggler), was a priest killed in Jalisco during the 1926-1929 Cristero Rebellion, an armed revolt against the Mexican government in response to anticlerical laws. The Catholic Church canonized Saint Toribio in 2000 but has never recognized him as the patron saint of immigrants, a title bestowed on him by migrants. 

EPSG:4326

Distinguished Lecture Series with Teresita Lozano

University of California, Los Angeles

This event is made possible thanks to a gift from Barbara Abell who established The David L. Abell Piano Masters Series in honor of her late husband. Pianos were a passion for David, the owner of David L. Abell's Fine Pianos in Los Angeles, which became a hot-spot for musical legends such as Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, Andre Previn, George Shearing, Bob Hope, Tony Bennett, and Benny Carter. We are proud to celebrate this program as part of the 2023/24 David L. Abell Piano Master Series.

David L. Abell Piano Master Series – Spring Quarter

UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

Continuing a tradition begun in 1960, the Department of Ethnomusicology draws on its incredible collection of world musical instruments to present its annual Spring Festival of World Music. It’s an opportunity for student ensembles to perform and share traditional musics from around the world—including Mexico, India, and West Africa—as they master their instruments.

Spring Festival of World Music 2024: Concert 1

Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy (Founding Chair of the UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology) and Amy Catlin-Jairazbhoy visited 8 states in India, recording tribal, folk, devotional, and classical musics. Their research was designed to supplement Arnold Adriaan Bake's surveys of Indian music throughout the South Asian subcontinent (Bengal, (West Bengal and Bangladesh), Nepal, Tamilnadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Sindh (Pakistan)). These audiovisual recordings and still images, plus audio field recordings made by Bake in India on a Tefiphon (a machine that cuts grooves on loops of 35mm film), are now available online, open access.

Repatriations, Restudies, and Repercussions: the Bake / Jairazbhoy Digital Archive of South Asian Traditional Music and Arts

Six guests appear at an ornate hotel with no idea how they got there. The gracious and aristocratic hotel manager, Mr. Lucian, promises to fulfill all their earthly desires for eternity if they remain. In this new opera by Richard Danielpour, the guests will have one night only to ponder a choice that will affect them for eternity.

Opera – Richard Danielpour’s The Grand Hotel Tartarus

Ralph Freud Playhouse

The Armenian Music Program at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music provides an in-depth exploration of Armenia’s rich musical heritage, with a focus on its classical traditions. A hallmark of the school’s innovative leadership in music and its commitment to public outreach, through dynamic performances and academic scholarship, the program has evolved into a vibrant educational platform. The Armenian Music Program is under the direction of Professor Melissa Bilal.

UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

Apr 29, 2024

Distinguished Lecture Series with Teresita Lozano

May 2, 2024

David L. Abell Piano Master Series – Spring Quarter

May 17, 2024

Spring Festival of World Music 2024: Concert 1

May 22, 2024

Repatriations, Restudies, and Repercussions: the Bake / Jairazbhoy Digital Archive of South Asian Traditional Music and Arts

May 23, 2024

Opera – Richard Danielpour’s The Grand Hotel Tartarus

UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

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