Joshua Malavé (composer) grew up just outside of Scranton Pennsylvania. He currently lives near Chicago and works as a composer, performer, and teacher. His interests are music, history, literature, and perception.
Malavé: Boricua was written in the spring of 2018. The first theme is taken from a Puerto Rican folk song titled “Despierta Boricua” meaning “wake up Puerto Rican” which is a call to arms recounting Puerto Rico’s rebel uprising in Lares in September of 1868. I first learned about this song from a version sung by the talented Puerto Rican folk singer, Andrés Jiménez, from his album “Like the Edge of the Machete: songs of the struggle for Puerto Rican independence.”
The second theme in Db is taken from a lullaby that I am told my grandmother used to sing to my brothers and I when I was younger. I had my aunt Lillian and family sing the melody and that was the version that I used in this piece. I later discovered that this theme is a popular Hispanic lullaby and that the version of it in my family is slightly different than the tune that most people know. I decided to use the version of it as I know it in my family.
Josh Ring (organist) is currently a graduate student at the University of Iowa. As a recitalist, Josh is an avid supporter of the Appalachian Service Project, and through his music and performances, he raises money to support the ASP efforts in the Appalachian area for low-income families. Josh earned his Master’s of Music in Composition and his Performer’s Certificate in Organ from Northern Illinois University and completed his undergraduate work, summa cum laude, from Olivet Nazarene University.
Josh recently won the Fox Valley AGO’s 2018 Young Organists Scholarship Competition and premiered Boricua at the winner’s recital where he says it was well received. The piece has already received the performances required by the project, but Josh will continue performing it in upcoming recitals:
- Sunday, September 30th at 3pm at the Rockford AGO “Pipespectacular” at Second First Church, 318 North Church Street, Rockford, IL 61101
- Monday, October 15th at noon at the Ovid Young Memorial Organ Recital Series at Olivet Nazarene University, Centennial Chapel, 1 University Ave, Bourbonnais, IL 60914
- Sunday, November 4th at 3pm at St. John Cantius Church, 825 N Carpenter St, Chicago, IL 60642
- Master’s Recital (date TBD, most likely late Nov or Dec) at University of Iowa, Voxman Music Building, 93 E Burlington St, Iowa City, IA 52240
Listen to Boricua!