I often find it difficult to make fund appeals, but I have to say that this time my hesitation is minimal. My enthusiasm for the work of MAES (Fundación Mujer, Arte con Esperanza) combined with the anticipation of a remarkable concert of my music next month, sponsored by MAES, is overcoming my usual doubts about asking for financial support.

I have spoken before about my collaborations with MAES, which began with a collaboration with Mary Carmen (“Pamelita”) Vázquez Moreno, an accomplished bassoonist, who is also president and principal co-founder of MAES. MAES has, in the past several years, grown considerably and offers great support to women in the arts in Morelia, Michoacán, and the rest of the Mexican state of Michoacán. I have been happy to be able from time to time to modestly contribute financially to their work. Arun Menon and I were able to raise some funds for their work in association with our concert of viola and piano duos in San Francisco in June of 2024.

In 2024, MAES presented a number of concerts in a variety of venues in Michoacán. These have included traditional, popular, and classical music. This both provides work for local musicians and provides local audiences with uplifting and entertaining events. These have included, in addition to concerts at museums and meetings of women’s organizations, events in shelters and prisons. There have also been events focused on the visual arts, dance, and poetry. MAES has formed relationships with various civic organizations and received support, albeit financially modest, from local and regional government and women’s civic organizations. MAES, in a few short years, has become an important force in the cultural life of Michoacán.

The past several years have been musically very productive for me. In collaboration with MAES and the Conservatory of Music (“Conservatorio de las Rosas”) in Morelia, we will present a program devoted to my recent music on the evening of June 12th. Featured works will be a Chamber Concerto for Bassoon (“Canto Sincero”) accompanied by strings and percussion and a vocal work for solo contralto and women’s chorus accompanied by a small instrumental group, which is a setting of the poem, “Oráculo” by Octavio Paz. My setting is dedicated to the memory of my sister, Alejandra Rivero Haedo. The program will also include chamber works for clarinet, bassoon, and piano, a set of short songs based on poetry of Federico García Lorca, and solo piano works, some played by myself and others by Alicia Medrano Hernandez, a superb pianist and active organizer with MAES.

I am hopeful to have good videos of the performance and will look forward to letting you see those when they are available.