Paul Anastasio (violin) and Tina Pilione (guitar and vocals) learned this remarkable repertoire from the great Calentano violinist Juan Reynoso, who taught at Centrum’s Festival of American Fiddle Tunes for nine years starting in 1996. The duo began traveling to Tierra Caliente soon after Juan’s first Fiddle Tunes appearances, to record lessons, workshops and concerts on digital audio and video. More than ten years of immersive study with Reynoso and fifteen other violinists throughout the region resulted in 3,000 hours of audio and video recordings. Paul has to date transcribed over a thousand traditional pieces in a dozen styles. With generous grant support, their archiving project continues with weekly Zoom lessons to Mexico with violin maestro Serafín Ibarra and his guitarists. Paul and Tina have performed and taught this music in the U.S. and Mexico.
Special guests from Veracruz, Mexico: Raquel Paraíso and Francisco (Pancho) López
Originally from Lagunilla, Salamanca, Spain, Raquel Paraíso studied violin at the Conservatory of Music of Salamanca, where she co-founded the Sirinx school of music, noted for its innovative teaching methods. In 1989, Raquel moved to the U.S. to study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she obtained a Master’s in Violin Performance, as well as a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology. Her focuses on Latin American music at large and Mexican music in particular—her master’s thesis studied the music of the Tierra Caliente of Guerrero and violinist, Juan Reynoso. Currently, Raquel researches Mexican traditional music, examining issues of symbolism, embodiment and sound in contemporary gendered, globalized and transnational scenarios. Her work has been published by Oxford University Press, Cambridge Scholars and Penguin Random House, as well as El Colegio de Michoacán, the National Institute of Anthropology (INAH) and Revista de Literaturas Populares (UNAM). Versatile as both musician and scholar, she teaches violin at CIMI-Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. performing extensively in the U.S., Canada, Latin America and Europe. Raquel moved to Xalapa in 2017 to be closer to her field research in the Huasteca region and other parts of Mexico.
Born in Mexico City, Francisco (Pancho) López moved to the United States when he was eighteen to study at the University of Oregon, Eugene, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Francisco is a self-taught musician and multi-instrumentalist with a deep knowledge of and passion for Latin American musical traditions. He is a founding member of the group, Sotavento, known for their innovative blend of traditional and contemporary music. That, along his experience as a composer, performer and educator have made him pivotal in the process of fostering awareness of eclectic music education for younger generations around the world. Francisco has collaborated with several Latin American performing musicians and co-authored the book, A Collection of Latin American Folk Songs (Hal Leonard, 1999).
Together, Raquel and Francisco teach workshops on Latin American and Mexican traditional music. They received a FONCA-SACPC (2021-2023) grant from the Secretary of Culture of Mexico for Sotavento’s composition project, El viaje de Papalotl, Mexican traditional music for children of all ages. Periodically they cross the border to present workshops on Latin American traditional music for ACE (Arts in Community Education; the outreach program of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra) and to perform at events such as the Festival of Texas Fiddling in Blanco, TX, or to work with Fire of Tierra Caliente!
Special guest from Boulder, CO: Kat Fritz
Kat seamlessly blends classical and world music into her performances and instruction. Her rich experiences studying, performing and teaching across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Russia, Mexico and the Caribbean deeply influence her musical approach. In the late 1990s, Kat had the extraordinary opportunity to travel to Mexico with colleague Paul Anastasio, where they immersed themselves in the vibrant Calentano music under the tutelage of the legendary fiddler Juan Reynoso (1912-2006). Their daily intensive lessons, often lasting up to four hours, focused on intricate third harmonies woven into original and traditional compositions from the Tierra Caliente region. Evenings were spent performing in the village square, where music brought the community together in celebration. These transformative experiences shaped Kat’s philosophy of music— to seek out new harmonic layers and to encourage her students to explore and embrace music from cultures around the world. Today, Kat runs a thriving private violin studio in Boulder, CO, where she continues to inspire and perform locally and globally.