FCB MUSIC
MUSIC & AUDIO-POST
FOR THE MOVING IMAGE
Midsummer in Marfa
Featuring music by Felix Mendelssohn and
Federico Chavez-Blanco
Book by Jeremy Brimhall
The Premiere
In March 2025, the Austin Symphony Orchestra presented the world premiere of Midsummer in Marfa in six Young People's Concerts over three days at the Long Center for the Performing Arts. The concerts were attended by over 12,000 Austin-area students. They were presented in collaboration with Mariachi Las Alteñas, Austin Shakespeare, Ventana Ballet, QWILL Media & Education, Inc., and Amalia Ortiz, under the direction of Maestro Pablo Zamora, with images produced by Misty Ranae Photography and
A West Texas Fairy Tale weaves together multiple performance genres in unprecedented fashion – including classical symphonic and mariachi music, poetry, theatre, Latin dance, opera and even reggaetón – in a revolutionary, bilingual performance experience for children. Based on the story of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream but with a Tex-Mex twist, this multidimensional performance brings the plot to a new setting: the quiet, desert town of Marfa, TX, 60 miles from the Mexican border and famous for its mysterious “Marfa Lights,” a place where cultures collide and languages occasionally divide.
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WHAT PEOPLE SAY
It was wonderful! Great story. Really enjoyed that multiple performance disciplines were combined together so masterfully!!
It was so much more interesting than previous years! I liked exposing my students to more than just an orchestra. They love theatre, ballet, and singing! Specifically, they felt included with the cumbia, reggaeton, and Spanish dialogue. Thank you!
My school loved the mariachi and the dancers. I loved the inclusion of Spanish and English with the performers. 2/3 of my students are bilingual and it was great seeing how they could understand and invested into the story and the music.
... loved getting to hear so many different types of music, loved the Spanish/English connection and the Marfa Lights connection. They also loved learning about Shakespeare as well as the Midsummer Night's Dream story. They came back raving about the experience and so excited to share what they saw and how it connected to their learning!
Every year I struggle to keep my students awake, sadly they have a hard time following along. This year I didn't have one students falling asleep. They all stayed engaged for the majority and seemed to really enjoy the whole thing.
We simply loved everything. It was superb how the difference performance arts were combined. A really fun version of Midsummer!