BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS – OCTOBER 1, 2012 – Music aficionados in the Rio Grande Valley will have a new radio program, “Excursiones Musicales,” broadcast by KMBH Public Radio 88FM starting at noon Friday, Oct. 5.  

Dr. Susan Hurley-Glowa

The weekly half-hour program is being produced by the Department of Music at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College and sponsored by Hermes Music Foundation. 

“We are very excited about providing this enjoyable and enlightening program for listeners during the lunch hour every week,” said Dr. Sue Zanne Urbis, Chair of the Music Department. “Hermes Music Foundation is committed to supporting music education and is an ideal partner in this endeavor as UTB establishes its Center of Excellence in Latin American and Iberian Music.” 

Hermes Music Foundation is widely known for its philanthropy, enriching children’s lives in Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley through its numerous initiatives, including distributing musical instruments to youngsters. 

Dr. Susan Hurley-Glowa, Assistant Professor of ethnomusicology and horn in the Department of Music, will be the host of the program. The show is designed to move freely between international, classical and folk styles, putting the music into context through brief introductions to enhance the listening experience. Shows will frequently have live interviews with local or visiting musicians. 

“Programs will be a series of sound excursions,” said Hurley-Glowa, who admits her personal musical tastes run strongly toward Brazilian, Cape Verdean and Caribbean. “The show will focus on making connections between local musical activities and the sounds from around the world. And certainly, an emphasis will be on music that relates to the Rio Grande Valley’s Latin heritage.” 

The first show is centered on the Department of Music’s Hispanic Heritage Concert scheduled for 8 p.m. the following day, Saturday, Oct. 6, at The Arts Center. Selections include “Jombo,” composed and performed by Bau, from “Blimundo” (theme music, Cape Verdean string band music); “Oy Comamos y Bebamos,” sung by Nancy Hadden, from the Norton Anthology of Western Music (music from Renaissance Spain); and “La Tortuga del Arenal,” performed by Marimba Chiapas, from Mosaico Mexicano (traditional Mexican folk music for marimbas).

In anticipation of the Tuesday, Oct. 9 campus visit by Hispanic activist Dolores Huerta, the program will close with “Claro Que Se Puede” performed by Ramón Ayala y Los Bravos Del Norte, Ricky Muñoz  from Intocable and Cesareo “Chayo” Sanchez from Proyecto De Amor Claro.  

The highlight of Huerta’s visit will be “A Conversation with Dolores Huerta” at The Arts Center. Brought to Brownsville by Hermes Music Foundation and supported by Valley Baptist Medical Center–Brownsville, the City of Brownsville and H-E-B. The program is free and open to the public. 

Advance tickets are recommended due to limited seating. For ticketing information, contact Veronica Garcia at 956-882-4327 or veronica.m.garcia@utb.edu.