Miss Negrón, in the conservatory, with the kohlrabi

July 2, 2019 10:58 AM

Angélica Negrón is the New York Botanical Garden’s composer-in-residence for 2019.

San Juan-born, Brooklyn-dwelling Negrón studied at the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico, New York University, and the CUNY Graduate Center, and teaches in the Very Young Composers Program at the New York Philharmonic. Co-founder of the children’s Spanish music immersion program Acopladitos, she often incorporates elements of musica jibara (Puerto Rican folk music) in her work.

The prolific Negrón, a multi-instrumentalist and singer, uses conventional instruments, purpose-built devices, children’s toys, synthesizers, soundboards, laptops, music boxes, found sounds, and fruits and vegetables in her compositions. She creates scores for films and documentaries; collaborates with theatre company Y No Había Luz; and performs with her ambient-music chamber project, Arturo en el Barco, and her electro-pop band, Balún.

Negrón’s “Chorus of the Forest,” written for the NYBG’s Thain Family Forest, premieres the first weekend in November.

Gone, performed by So Percussion
Me he perdido, performed by the American Composers Orchestra
dóabin, performed by loadbang
There Once Was, performed by Choral Chameleon
The Little Things, performed by Phyllis Chen
Count to Five, performed by So Percussion

Balún - La Salida
Balún - La Nueva Ciudad
Balún at Bandcamp

Arturo en el Barco at Bandcamp

Volumen

Ancestros (from All Nations All Relations, A Benefit Compilation For Standing Rock)
Memories of a Penitent Heart (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

posted by Iris Gambol (4 comments total)

Angelica Negrón is wonderful, and this is a really detailed post--great work. Here are a couple extended Balun performance videos.
posted by box at 11:08 AM on July 2, 2019 [1 favorite]

Thanks, box! The band's performing in Brooklyn tonight, with headliner ÌFÉ -- if you like Balún, you might like them.
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:21 AM on July 2, 2019 [1 favorite]

Aw DAMMIT I am not up to going to Bklyn tonight. But eeeeeeeee Balún is so great (scuse me but I think the track you are looking for is El Espanto, it will pull you out of your chair by your hair), and I just played the Botanical gardens the other day and they are great, and her playing vegetables just sounds SO SO VERY GREAT
posted by gusandrews at 3:12 PM on July 2, 2019

This is really cool, thanks! I've been watching the longer sets. For me it compares nicely to when Latin music made it over to the Shibuya scene in Japan (in the late 90s/early 2000s?).
posted by carter at 2:40 PM on July 3, 2019