District 300 students to premiere 'Magical Forest' composition written by Mexican composer
Band students from all five middle school in Community Unit District 300 will perform the world premiere of "Magical Forest," an original composition by Nubia Jaime-Donjuan.
The concert will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at Jacobs High School, 2601 Bunker Hill Drive in Algonquin. Admission is $3 at the door.
The composer also will make several in-person appearances at Algonquin, Carpentersville, Dundee, Hampshire and Westfield middle schools on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 6-7 as part of the event.
Community Unit School District 300 was selected to premiere the composition by members of the Mexican Repertoire Initiative, a group founded at Dartmouth College focused on bringing Mexican music to bands across the United States.
"It is important that students perform music where they may see themselves," says Michael Kasper, instrumental music teacher at Dundee Middle School. The new piece by Jaime-Donjuan is accessible to young ensembles, an area of music composition often neglected.
District 300 middle school band teachers and students are excited to be leaders in repertoire representation and are honored to have this opportunity.
The District 300 Foundation for Educational Excellence is proud to enrich this event. Their support is allowing Jaime-Donjuan to interact with the community and attend the performance.
The composer will visit all five middle schools to speak about the composition and meet all eighth-grade band students.
In addition, she will share her story of being a composer at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6, at the Ganek Center, 2200 Harnish Drive, Algonquin. The event is open to the public and will accommodate English and Spanish speakers.
The District 300 area is a microcosm of the United States of America. There are many different cultures throughout the community. As students emerge from the pandemic, it is clear that love of learning will return only if students are excited by what they study. When the material studied involves something a child may find personal identification, intense learning ensues. Jaime-Donjuan in both her music and conversation will certainly be an inspiration to many in the community.
About the composer
Born in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, Nubia Jaime-Donjuan began her musical studies at the age of 6. She continued her professional studies at the University of Sonora. Nubia has collaborated with various education institutions, including: University of Sonora, Michoacán University of San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Autonomous University of Zacatecas, Higher School of Catalonia, Strasbourg Conservatory, and Dartmouth College. As a composer and arranger, she has collaborated with many great orchestras and chamber ensembles. Her music has been performed by renowned soloists and ensembles in and outside of Mexico. Recently, she was commissioned by the University of Sonora to compose the University Anthem. Ms. Jaime-Donjuan was the first woman to receive first prize in the Arturo Marquez Composition Contest. She is part of the Montoneras Collective, which brings together the work of composers, performers, and researchers to make visible the work of women in the music from Mexico.
According to the composer, "Dreaming is a wonderful thing. When I was a child, my mother and I used to read a storybook every night before bed. That little book contained drawings that would remain etched in my mind as I drifted off to sleep. Most nights, I would dream about the trees and animals from the pictures, creating a new story every night. Some nights, the trees were good, and the animals were bad, others the animals were afraid of the trees; occasionally the trees were so strange that they seemed to be from another world. In Magical Forest I've tried to re-create this wonder of being a child: of going to sleep with a mind full of trees and forest animals and creating magical stories in your dreams."