Posted 7 a.m. Monday, Oct. 25, 2021
UWL's Jonathan Borja connects with celebrated Mexican composer
Jonathan Borja has long admired the music of Samuel Zyman, one of Mexico’s leading classical composers.
Several years ago, Borja bumped into Zyman after attending one of his performances at the National Flute Association Convention in San Diego — a chance encounter that sparked a friendship and inspired a special project.
“There were so many things that we discovered we had in common and shared a common value for music and the arts in society,” says Borja, an associate professor of music, specializing in flute, at UW-La Crosse. “Once I returned from the convention, I thought: ‘How can I keep this connection with this great composer going?’”
Since, Borja has written an article exploring Zyman’s flute music, which was published in The Flutist Quarterly.
He has performed Zyman’s music at dozens of concerts, including in their shared hometown of Mexico City.
And he has released an album showcasing Zyman’s flute music, and has been featured on another album with an international roster of musicians, cementing Borja’s expertise on Zyman’s music.
For his part, Zyman has visited UWL twice: when his music was featured during the La Crosse New Music Festival in 2017, and when Borja was recording an album in 2019. While visiting in 2017 through a Visiting Artist of Color Grant, Zyman also taught a master class for UWL composition students.
“His works have been performed worldwide,” Borja says. “To be a part of that ‘inner circle,’ is very exciting.”
Zyman — whose resume includes teaching music theory and analysis at the Juilliard School in New York City — has even connected Borja with other opportunities.
Recently, Zyman suggested that Borja work with Mexican composer Juanra Urrusti on a piece for flute and piano. The piece had its world premiere Sept. 19 at UWL.
“It has simply been a great privilege to be associated with this great Mexican composer — not only as a musician, but also as a friend,” he says. “The project was a great way to explore and showcase the scope of what I can do as a scholar: write, perform, record, and hopefully in the near future, commission.”