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Ensoñación 
Solo Marimba (four mallets), Grade !V
by Juan Álamo
Associate Professor at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Music 
edited by Arthur Lipner

"Ensoñación is a Spanish word for Reverie (being lost in one’s thoughts). The main inspiration for this piece came from the beautiful landscapes of my homeland Puerto Rico. A few places in particular that inspired me, such as the historic colonial city of Old San Juan, El Morro ( a fortress built between the 16th and 18th centuries), and a national forest called El Yunque. In a way, I was trying to capture the dreamy or musing state." JÁ 

physical & digital, 7 pgs, released Nov. '22

 price $18

Ensoñación_pg1 only for Wix.jpg

Álamo performs Ensoñación Moderato

Álamo performs Ensoñación Allegro

Dr. Álamo has published five marimba recordings: Remembrance (2007), Marimjazzia (2014), Pursuing Freedom (2016) and Ruta Panoramica (2019) and Ensoñación (2021).  Dr. Álamo has recorded and shared the stage performing in collaboration with renowned artists such as Keiko Abe, William Cahn, Ney Rosauro, Steve Shick, Tito Puente, Brandford Marsalis, Dave Samuels, Michael Spiro, Claudio Roditi among others. He has performed and recorded with the San Juan Pops and played the Classical orchestral repertoire with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Krzyszt Penderecki and Sergiu Comissiona.

 

As a composer, Dr. Álamo has several pieces published by major publishing companies such as Innovative Percussion, Drop 6 Media, C. Alan Publication, Musicon Publications and MalletWorks Music. He is the author of the book “Four Mallet Music for the Modern Marimba Player,” a technique and pedagogical method for marimba. He is also a contributor to the MalletWorks vibes book “Milt Jackson: Transcribed Solos of the Master”.  Álamo is a performing artist and clinician for Yamaha, Meinl Percussion, and Encore Mallets Inc.  More information about Dr. Álamo’s artistic career, compositions, recordings and performance schedule is available at https://juanalamomusic.com/. 

Juan Álamo is an Associate Professor at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Music and a William Wilson Brown, Jr. Distinguished Term Associate Professor in Latin American Studies. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music, and Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees with Jazz as related field from the University of North Texas. Originally from Caguas, Puerto Rico, Dr. Álamo has presented master classes and recitals at universities, the prestigious Percussive Arts Society International Conference, as well as various percussion and jazz festivals throughout the United States, Europe, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. 

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