What can you say about a place you've never visited?
Composer Liliya Ugay's experience of Puerto Rico exists only in her imagination. She had originally planned to travel there prior to the pandemic, but the closest she has gotten is Florida.
Instead, Ugay's contribution to El Puerto Rico focuses on the idea of the "Island of Enchantment."
As someone who grew up in a landlocked country, the sounds of the ocean are particularly fascinating to Ugay. She weaves the sounds of sea and shore into her piece.
The result is a daydream of a place that enchants visitors and locals alike.
The Victory Players:
Tianhui Ng, music director
Angela Santiago, ensemble manager
Nathan Ben-Yehuda, piano
Clare Monfredo, cello
Giovanni A. Perez, flute
Robert Rocheteau, percussion
Eric Schultz, clarinet
Elly Toyoda, violin
Originally from Uzbekistan (a former part of the USSR) and raised in the Tatar/Korean music family, Ugay is particularly inspired by the topics of immigration, motherhood, cultural diversity and geographic inequality.
Ugay serves as an assistant professor of composition and director of the Polymorphia ensemble of new music at the Florida State University.
You can watch an interview with Ugay below, with a transcript in both English and Spanish.
Spanish language translation: Damaris Pérez-Pizarro
El Puerto Rico is a collaboration of the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts (MIFA), New England Public Media and GBH Music, which originally published a version of this post.