ABSTRACT
The resurgence of the Mexican Orchestra, a musical ensemble originally conceived by Carlos Chávez in the 1930s, has brought together the artistic effort of a group of Oaxacan musicians led by ethnomusicologist Rubén Luengas. POM: Pasatono Orquesta Mexicana is an ensemble dedicated to the study and performance of Oaxacan music and committed to continue Chávez’s legacy to bridge the worlds of concert and folk music. During Chávez’s time, his orchestra was one of his most efficient means to internationalize post-revolutionary Mexican music within the United States. The new POM continues the mission as a cultural ambassador of Mexican music in the US with extensive performance tours and collaborations with US artists. However, unlike Chávez’s original idea, the new Mexican Orchestra is a musical project with a strong social impact, a solid space for ethnomusicological research, an educational “hub”, and an ensemble that welcomes innovative and experimental explorations. A new music collaborative project with POM is described in the second half of this chapter.
