José Daniel Apodaca
Las Vegas, NM – The New Mexico Highlands University Department of Music presents Míºsica de Amor, a recital of Spanish music March 24 at 3 p.m.
Music professor Andre García-Nuthmann, a tenor vocalist, and guest vocal soloist José Daniel Apodaca, a baritone, will perform bolero music popular in Spain, Mexico, Cuba and elsewhere in the 1930s and 1940s.
Concert pianist and music faculty Linda King is the piano accompanist for the recital, and will also perform a solo of Malagueña.
The recital will be in the Margaret Kennedy Alumni Hall, 905 University Ave. The cost is $5.
The program includes pieces by legendary composers such as Gonzalo Roig and Ernesto Lecuona of Cuba, María Grever and ílvaro Carrillo of Mexico, Fedrico Longí¡s of Spain, Miguel Sandoval of Guatemala, and more.
Some of the musical selections include favorites such as Quiréme Mucho, Cielo Azul, Solamente una vez, and Amapola.
“The harmonious style of the bolero developed in Spain in the 18th century and then was born in Cuba during the 19th century,” Apodaca said. “The real popularity of the bolero genre was built in Mexico in the 1940s and 50s.”
Apodoca added that bolero music was part of the golden age of Mexican cinema from the 1930s through the 1960s, and was also incorporated into the big band movement in the 1930s and 1940s. He said Mexican singer Luis Miguel reintroduced the bolero style to worldwide acclaim in 1991, with younger audiences becoming bolero enthusiasts.
García-Nuthmann and King are both well known to Northern New Mexico music audiences, including performances with the Santa Fe Symphony, Santa Fe Community Orchestra, and New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, among others.
Both have also performed solos internationally, including the 2009 Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria.
García-Nuthmann directs the university’s choral and vocal program in the Department of Music.
Apodaca of Albuquerque is an award-winning baritone who performs at the National Hispanic Cultural Center and Opera Southwest, both in Albuquerque.
A frequent soloist, Apodaca has also shared the stage with famed Mexican singers such as Armando Mora, Mauricio Trejo, Virginia Herrera, and others.
Apodaca has toured New Mexico with the Santa Fe Opera Guild, performing for children at schools throughout the state. In 2004, he received the prestigious national Golden Apple Teaching Award for his work as a music teacher with children.
Apodaca earned his master’s in music from the University of New Mexico and his bachelor’s in music from Stanford University. The Ministry of Spain honored him for his musical contributions, and he has received numerous music awards from UNM.
Early in his career, Apodaca performed with Young Americans in Concert in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Constitution Hall, and the White House, as well as European locales.