Information below provided by Veronica Amoe- Nac Historic Sites Manager Website: nactx.us/historicsites
NACOGDOCHES, TX – Texas Folklife, in partnership with the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music and the City of Nacogdoches Historic Sites Division, will present Cruzando Caminos: Singing Spanish Poetry in the South on Friday, September 11, at Zion Hill Baptist Church Historic Site in Nacogdoches. See poster and read more below.
Cruzando Caminos, meaning “crossing paths,” brings together artists representing distinct musical traditions connected through centuries of Spanish-language verse. At the center of the program is the décima, a ten-line poetic form that originated in Spain and traveled throughout the Spanish-speaking Americas, developing new musical traditions as it moved across regions and generations.
The tradition has a significant connection to Nacogdoches and El Camino Real. Décimas were being sung in Nacogdoches as early as 1797, when El Camino Real connected this area of East Texas with Louisiana, Mexico, and the wider Spanish-speaking world.
“We are excited to once again work with Texas Folklife and to welcome this program to Zion Hill,” said Veronica Amoe, Historic Sites Manager for the City of Nacogdoches. “Cruzando Caminos connects musical traditions from across the Americas with our local history and highlights traditions documented in Nacogdoches more than two centuries ago.”
The evening will feature local artists Juan Carlos and Jeana Ureña, who will open the program, alongside Will Buckingham and Shane Lief of the Louisiana Décima Project; San Antonio-based son jarocho singer Keli Rosa; and Chilean artist Isabel Mekis. Together, the performers represent traditions spanning Texas, Louisiana, Mexico, Central America, and South America, with shared roots in the décima tradition.
The program begins at 5:00 p.m. with an opening reception featuring food trucks with food available for purchase and an opportunity for guests to meet the artists.
At 5:45 p.m., Dr. Hannah Snavely, an ethnomusicologist and professor at Stephen F. Austin State University, will moderate an artist talk exploring the history and movement of the décima and providing context for the musical traditions represented during the evening.
The concert begins at 7:00 p.m. Each artist or group will perform and introduce the audience to their own musical tradition before all five come together for a collaborative finale.
Cruzando Caminos will take place at Zion Hill Baptist Church Historic Site, 324 N. Lanana Street in Nacogdoches. The event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. To learn more and register for the event, visit texasfolklife.org. The registration link, additional event details, and information about Zion Hill Baptist Church Historic Site can also be found at nactx.us/historicsites.