HSU Honors Hispanic Heritage on Sept. 21

The Hardin-Simmons University College of Fine Arts is hosting an evening to honor Hispanic heritage on September 21. The event will begin at 7:30 in the Woodward Dellis Recital Hall with a lecture from Dr. Lorenzo Candelaria, Associate Provost at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Candelaria will present on the history of Mariachi music. Afterwards, the Mariachi Sol Azteca from Grand Prairie will perform a brief Mariachi concert. The night will end with an outdoor fiesta to celebrate Hispanic food, games, and culture.

Robert Tucker, Dean of the College of Fine Arts at HSU, encourages students, faculty, and friends to come enjoy this event. “This is an opportunity for students to hear quality music and learn more about Hispanic culture,” Tucker said. “We are excited to honor Hispanic culture with a renowned scholar such as Dr. Candelaria.”

Dr. Lorenzo Candelaria is a well-published musicologist with a specialty in the history of Mariachi music. His recent publications include American Music: A Panorama (with Daniel Kingman) and The Rosary Cantoral: Ritual and Social Design in a Chantbook from Early Renaissance Toledo. His book, The Rosary Cantoral, received the American Musicological Society’s Robert M. Stevenson Award for its outstanding scholarship and contribution to Hispanic music. His research has also been awarded by the prestigious Fulbright Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Social Science Research Council, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

This is the second event that Hardin-Simmons has hosted to honor ethnic diversity in America. “Texas is now close to 50% Hispanic. This is an opportunity for us to demonstrate our respect and the merging of our two cultures,” said Tucker.

Honoring Hispanic Heritage will be a night filled with culture and fun. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from a distinguished scholar, as well as participate in music and traditional Hispanic activities. Tucker said the HSU community should take advantage of this unique event. “This event marries academics with artistic interest. That isn’t something that happens often.”