Carrizozo Music is pleased to announce that pianist, Lara Downes, will perform in Carrizozo on Friday, May 11, at 6 PM at Trinity United Methodist Church. The free performance entitled American Icons is a tribute to Leonard Bernstein and other composers of his era including George Gershwin and Billie Holiday.
To reach Trinity United Methodist Church from route 54, turn West at 12th Street, between the 54 Emporium and Roy's Ice Cream Parlor. Turn right onto D Ave and go two blocks to the church, 1000 D Ave, Carrizozo, NM.
Lara Downes is among the foremost American pianists of her generation, an iconoclast dedicated to expanding the resonance and relevance of American music for diverse audiences. A trailblazer on and off-stage, she follows a musical roadmap that seeks inspiration from the legacies of history, family, and collective memory. Downes' playing has been called "ravishing" by Fanfare Magazine, "luscious, moody and dreamy" by The New York Times, and "addicting - Downes plays with an open, honest heart" by The Huffington Post.
A laureate of the 2016 Sphinx Medal of Excellence award, Downes is recognized as a leader in expanding the reach of the arts as a performer, an entrepreneur, and a cultural visionary. She is an Artist-in-Residence at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts - UC Davis, where she mentors young musicians as director of the National Young Artists Program. She serves on the advisory board of The Time In Children's Arts Initiative and is the founding director of the My Promise Project. Downes has performed on stages ranging from Carnegie Hall, John F. Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, the U.S. Supreme Court, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and the Vienna Konzerthaus.
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| “Ride the Pink Horse” will be shown on May 13 @ 2pm. The film is rated "R" for profanity. |
Carrizozo series offers free viewing of movies filmed in New Mexico
by Lisa Maue
Movies shot in part or entirely in New Mexico are the focus of a monthly film viewing at the Carrizozo Library.
The “Made in New Mexico” movie series begins this month and is scheduled from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., on the second Sunday of each month through Eastern New Mexico University-Ruidoso Community Education program.
The movies include many genres and were filmed during various time periods. Movies are free and donations to the not-for-profit Carrizozo library are welcome, but not necessary.
The first film showing May 13, is “Ride the Pink Horse,” shot in Santa Fe in 1947. It stars Robert Montgomery who also directed. Thomas Gomez was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Gomez was the first and remains the only Hispano to be nominated in this Academy Award category. The movie takes place during a “Mexican festival” somewhere along the border. Scenes were shot inside the La Fonda Hotel and in Santa Fe and feature the burning of Zozobra and a 19th century carousel that once stood in the Taos Plaza.
“This is loosely labeled a non-urban film noir crime drama,” Maue said. “It lacks the grittiness of film noir movies made in cities but it incorporates cultural differences instead. It still has the femme fatale and the hardened, fedora-wearing protagonist, the juxtaposition of black and white and atmospheric effects but it also has Mary Colter’s designs inside La Fonda and a definite New Mexico vibe."
Mary Colter was one of the few women architects of her time and was instrumental in developing and popularizing a Southwestern style that combined Native American Hispano and rustic elements, Maue said. She was known to use local craftspeople and their art in the buildings she designed.
Whereas Colter was relatively unknown during her lifetime, Dorothy B. Hughes, who wrote the book on which the movie was based, was very popular as a crime writer during her time. She also was a literary critic, writing for the Albuquerque Tribune, among other newspapers. She lived in Santa Fe most of her life and drew upon her experiences in New Mexico in the novel that can ultimately be seen in the movie.
“The first movie filmed here was done before New Mexico was even a state,” Maue said. “In 1898 Thomas Edison produced a short, one-shot movie of children at the Isleta Indian School. As I’m sure people are aware, film-making continues to be very popular in the state, so I have a wealth of movies to show.”
The movie series will go on as long as there is interest, Maue said. The movies will be shown inside the library during the day.
“I’m not a film person or a critic, just someone who likes movies, whether they are vintage black and white or contemporary experimental films,” Maue said. “Some of the movies are incredibly bad, but it is easy to be distracted from a weak plot or a hackneyed performance if the movie was filmed in Roswell, say, in the 1940s. It is more fun to compare how places have changed—or not changed.
For more information on the series or last minute changes, call Lisa directly at 336-4061 or go to CarrizozoArt on Facebook.
For information about Carrizozo Music, Inc., the 2018 season schedule and concert updates please check www.carrizozomusic.org, email carrizozomusic@gmail.com or call Elaine at 575-648-2757. Carrizozo Music, a 501c3, sponsors a series of classical concerts, summer Portico Concerts and an extensive school outreach program of concerts and workshops, with a commitment to providing free quality music to the students and residents of Lincoln County and the surrounding area.
