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Juan Pablo Contreras
Alma Monarca

The young Mexican composer Juan Pablo Contreras is a three-time Latin GRAMMY®-nominated composer and conductor who weaves Western classical and Mexican folk music into an exhilarating soundscape. His music has been performed by 60 major orchestras across the United States, Mexico, Austria, Colombia, Spain and many other countries, as well as in prestigious concert halls such as Walt Disney Concert Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Hollywood Bowl.

Alma Monarca (Monarch Soul) is one of the composer’s most recent works, premiering in November 2024 in Houston under the baton of JoAnn Falletta conducting the chamber orchestra ROCO.

The composer provided the following preface to orchestral score:

“Alma Monarca (Monarch Soul) is an orchestral work that captures my childhood memories of celebrating Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Páztcuaro, Michoacán, where this Mexican tradition originated. My grandfather, Eduardo Contreras, was born in Pátzcuaro. When I was young, my family and I would visit his hometown to take part in the Día de los Muertos festivities.

“Alma Monarca is a sonic remembrance of these visits, inviting listeners to experience Día de los Muertos through music. Our musical journey starts in Pátzcuaro. On the morning of November 1, my family would arrive and explore the town, where the sound of brass bands rehearsing for the evening filled the air. Around noon, we would take a small boat to the nearby island of Janitzio. We’d go to church and then spend the afternoon singing with mariachis and enjoying delicious food. 

“As midnight drew near, we would gather at the cemetery to visit the graves of our loved ones. The local Purépechas, an indigenous group from Michoacán, spoke of a legend that said that when someone died, their soul would transform into a monarch butterfly on Día de los Muertos, starting their migration to heaven at midnight on November 2. 

“My siblings and I would eagerly watch the sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of our great-grandparents’ “monarch souls” fluttering nearby as the clock struck midnight — and we always did! This magical memory, which marked the pinnacle of our Día de los Muertos adventure, inspired me to title this work: Alma Monarca.”


Program Notes by Paul Hyde

Paul Hyde, a longtime arts journalist, is an English instructor at Tri-County Technical College in South Carolina. He writes regularly for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the S.C. Daily Gazette, Classical Voice North America, ArtsATL and other publications. Readers may write to him at paulhydeus@yahoo.com.

Juan Pablo Contreras
Alma Monarca

The young Mexican composer Juan Pablo Contreras is a three-time Latin GRAMMY®-nominated composer and conductor who weaves Western classical and Mexican folk music into an exhilarating soundscape. His music has been performed by 60 major orchestras across the United States, Mexico, Austria, Colombia, Spain and many other countries, as well as in prestigious concert halls such as Walt Disney Concert Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Hollywood Bowl.

Alma Monarca (Monarch Soul) is one of the composer’s most recent works, premiering in November 2024 in Houston under the baton of JoAnn Falletta conducting the chamber orchestra ROCO.

The composer provided the following preface to orchestral score:

“Alma Monarca (Monarch Soul) is an orchestral work that captures my childhood memories of celebrating Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Páztcuaro, Michoacán, where this Mexican tradition originated. My grandfather, Eduardo Contreras, was born in Pátzcuaro. When I was young, my family and I would visit his hometown to take part in the Día de los Muertos festivities.

“Alma Monarca is a sonic remembrance of these visits, inviting listeners to experience Día de los Muertos through music. Our musical journey starts in Pátzcuaro. On the morning of November 1, my family would arrive and explore the town, where the sound of brass bands rehearsing for the evening filled the air. Around noon, we would take a small boat to the nearby island of Janitzio. We’d go to church and then spend the afternoon singing with mariachis and enjoying delicious food. 

“As midnight drew near, we would gather at the cemetery to visit the graves of our loved ones. The local Purépechas, an indigenous group from Michoacán, spoke of a legend that said that when someone died, their soul would transform into a monarch butterfly on Día de los Muertos, starting their migration to heaven at midnight on November 2. 

“My siblings and I would eagerly watch the sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of our great-grandparents’ “monarch souls” fluttering nearby as the clock struck midnight — and we always did! This magical memory, which marked the pinnacle of our Día de los Muertos adventure, inspired me to title this work: Alma Monarca.”


Program Notes by Paul Hyde

Paul Hyde, a longtime arts journalist, is an English instructor at Tri-County Technical College in South Carolina. He writes regularly for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the S.C. Daily Gazette, Classical Voice North America, ArtsATL and other publications. Readers may write to him at paulhydeus@yahoo.com.