Dr. Carolina Calvache was in the process of moving to Warrensburg, Mo., to accept a faculty position at the University of Central Missouri when Arkansas Tech University Department of Music faculty members Dr. Phoebe Robertson and Dr. Cory Fica reached out to her about composing a new piece of music.
A former resident of New York City, Calvache went for walks in her new, more rural surroundings in Missouri during the writing process. Inspired by the animals she encountered along the way, she composed “La Berma del Camino,” which will receive its consortium debut performance featuring Robertson on flute and Fica on marimba at ATU’s Witherspoon Auditorium on Monday, Dec. 1.
“I started imagining the way (animals) walk, dance, jump and interact with nature, and how sensitive they are,” said Calvache. “The music is about that. The piece has three parts. In the first part, the animals are happy and free. The second part is a little sad and mysterious, and then there is the part of the afterlife where they are free and dancing again.”
The Dec. 1 performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. It will be free and open to the public. Witherspoon Auditorium is located at 407 West Q Street on the ATU campus in Russellville.
“La Berma del Camino” was commissioned with the support of Dr. Jeffrey Cass, dean of the ATU College of Arts and Humanities, through the college’s mini-grant initiative.
Calvache will appear at the performance as a guest composer. Her appearance is made possible through the ATU Department of Music Robert and Frankie Casey Guest Artist Series, which was endowed by the relatives and friends of the namesakes in recognition of the Caseys’ contributions as professional educators from 1954-98.
“There are so many great pieces out there, but it’s exciting to be a part of a new project and to bring something to life,” said Fica. “When we were in the genesis of this process, the first person I thought of was my old classmate and friend, Carolina. We were both doctoral students at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. This has all kind of coalesced into this wonderful work and this wonderful project. Being a part of a collaborative effort to make new music is what it’s all about.”
Fica holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of South Carolina, a Master of Music degree from the University of Texas and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Miami. He joined the ATU faculty in 2024 as instructor of music.
Robertson joined the ATU faculty in 2022 and is assistant professor of music. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Ottawa, a Master of Music degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Manhattan School of Music.
“It was a really fun and collaborative process,” said Robertson when asked about the creation of the new piece. “Dr. Calvache asked us (Robertson and Fica) to send pieces for our instruments that are in more a Latin jazz idiom, and we both had lots of examples of things we had played or pieces that we’ve always admired. So, we sent them her way and we had a lot of really fruitful discussions.
“In terms of receiving what is now the final version, it is incredibly fun to play,” continued Robertson. “It’s music that wants to dance. It’s music that has a lot of conversational aspects, and that’s something I really enjoy. When I make music with Dr. Fica, we are engaged in the process of trading things back and forth. We really enjoy sharing that with our audience, and probably most importantly sharing that with our students and showing them an example of how much fun the music-making process can be, whether it is something that was written previously or something that we’re premiering.”
As part of Calvache’s visit to ATU, she will offer workshops to Arkansas Tech music students throughout the day on Monday, Dec. 1.
Other pieces scheduled for the performance that evening include two movements of “Histoire du Tango” by Astor Piazzolla, “Tango-Étude No. 3” by Piazzolla, “Madera Viento y Metal” by Alejandro Viñao and “Cardinal Songs” by Adina Izarra.
Learn more about the ATU Department of Music at www.atu.edu/humanities/music.
