Most musical compositions can be classified by the instrumentation and the musical structure. Cartography is not usually part of the notational features. But in the case of Pulitzer Prize–winning composer and Albuquerque denizen Raven Chacon’s Tiguex, the city known today as Albuquerque is both the subject and the stage, and the composition itself is notated as a hand-drawn map that captures the city cartographically, historically, and culturally. On September 27, the composition’s 20 overlapping movements will be performed by more than 200 musicians from dawn to dusk in places across the city. Conducted by Chacon’s childhood piano teacher, the full composition will be broadcast on KUNM (89.9 FM in Albuquerque and online) and live streamed on the One Albuquerque Media (GOV-TV) YouTube channel. A week before the event, Musically Speaking had the opportunity to speak with Chacon about this extraordinary project. Our conversation is reproduced below, edited for length and clarity. For full details about the project—including the score, movements, locations, and timing—please visit tiguex.com.
