Information:

• Source: Hello World Notebook
• Key: D Major / B Minor
• Measures: 49
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 3 Min
• Pages: 4 Pages

It is a place where you dream that you are dreaming while remaining awake.

ANOTHER GALAXY

If I had been able to choose the place and the era in which I wanted to be born, I am certain the result would have been a strange mixture of countries and periods in history. Mongolia at the end of the nineteenth century would have been nice, or Iceland today would be a perfect place.

That is why, if I honestly consider the different places and events unfolding in the world today, I find myself wishing I had been born in another galaxy, as far away from humanity as possible. Although I am tempted to say that, if I absolutely had to choose somewhere on Earth, Paraguay might be a good candidate.

THE UNITED STATES OF MEXICO

For whatever reason, I happened to...

Information:

• Source: Hello World Notebook
• Key: C Major / A Minor
• Measures: 48
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 3:33 Min
• Pages: 4 Pages

“A wink is a silent way of saying everything you shouldn’t say out loud.”
— Unknown

GESTURES 101
Everyone knows what a wink is, but nobody seems to agree on what it really means. Is it flirting?, A joke?, A secret signal passed between partners in crime?, Or just something that goes terribly wrong at the wrong time? It lasts for only less than a second, but its message is so powerful that can carry so much meaning. One eye closes, the other stays open, and suddenly you have communicated confidence, intimacy, irony, or total embarrassment.

Where I live, in Mexico, winking is not necessarily a bad thing. Still, one must know to whom to wink and, more importantly, when. It is not a skill taught in school. There is no school subject called: Facial...

Information:

• Source: Emperor’s New Clothes Notebook
• Key: C Major/ A Minor
• Measures: 48
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 3:05 Min
• Pages: 4

“Social media doesn’t create negativity, it uncovers it.” - Jay Baer

TROUBLE IN PARADISE

By the time you read this, the Internet may seem as ordinary to you as electricity does to me. But when I was growing up, none of this existed. Then came the Internet, followed by email, and suddenly we had an entirely new way of communicating. It was fast, convenient, and, at first, it felt almost miraculous.

We thought we had opened the door to a remarkable new world. And in many ways, we did. What we didn’t notice at the time was that, little by little, we were also closing another door - the one that led to actual human connection. Funny how that works.

You should also know that the Internet came into our lives before we really had any idea...

Information:

• Source: Hello World Notebook
• Key: F Major/ D Minor
• Measures: 48
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 3:16 Min
• Pages: 4

Art has always had this habit of showing people what they don’t want to admit about themselves

NOT TODAY

I’ve seen a lot, but I haven’t seen it all. Still, I’ve seen enough to know that religious and political extremist are the ones who get obsessed with having full control over everyone else. And when they do, they usually end up creating and sometimes magnifying the exact thing they were trying to crush. The problem is when they start using physical intimidation, that’s when things get a lot messier.

But here’s the think: just when they seem ready to clamp down by building some pure, disciplined, moral world, someone in six-inch heels, a blond wig, and glitter walks onstage to a Whitney Houston song and says, “Not today.”

A SATANIC SHOW

Take...

Information:

• Source: Hello World Notebook
• Key: C Major/A Minor
• Measures: 60
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 3:22 Min
• Pages: 5

1971

The world I entered in 1971 had already been getting along perfectly well without me, with all its problems, and millions of people going about their lives without the slightest idea that I was about to make an appearance, which was just as well because I had no idea what I was getting myself into either.

Nobody was waiting for me, there was no welcoming committee, and as far as I know, nobody had arranged a parade. In fact, not even my mother was waiting for me, since she had no idea I was coming. But when I look back at the year I was born, I find it fascinating to see what was happening around the world while my own little story was getting started. The birth certificate gave me a date, but the year itself gave me a much larger picture of...

Information:

• Source: Open Letters Notebook
• Key: Bb Major/G Minor
• Measures: 36
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 3:02
• Pages: 4 Pages

THE CARTEL

Family can be a blessing or a curse _ or a little bit of both. But in the end, I must admit that in this life, family is still the one thing a person can rely on when everything else shifts. I don’t say this lightly, because I know that not all families are the same. At the same time, without fear of sounding like I belong to the Corleones’ family. I still believe that family, for better or worse, is often the last refuge of loyalty and belonging.

I am fortunate to have four sisters and two brothers, for that reason, you can probably imagine the environment in which I grew up, where heaven was hell and hell was bliss. The memories are countless. Where should I begin? Perhaps in the port of Acapulco.
 
 

SURNAMES

But Acapulco...

Information:

• Source: Under the Sun Notebook
• Key: Bb Major
• Measures: 24
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 3:11
• Pages: 4 Pages

“I love mankind … it’s people I can’t stand!!” ― Charles M. Schulz

LOOKING FORWARD
I have said it before and I will say it again: We are capable of great beauty, unspeakable darkness, and everything in between. Through all my life, I have realized that, it’s always people who cause the most uncomfortable situations, the most pain, the most destruction. But then again, it is also people who cause the most incredible moments in life. Beautiful, kind souls that make life easier, more enjoyable, more meaningful.

I know it is a challenging idea, while at the same time, it does resonate with many universal truths. I don’t keep tabs, but if given the opportunity, I would sincerely look forward to reading _ with gusto _ the obituaries of the awful people I...

Information:

• Source: Open Letters Notebook
• Key: G Major/ E Minor
• Measures: 36
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 3:33
• Pages: 3 Pages

PART OF ME
There is a part of me that naturally challenges authority, another part that questions everything, another part yet, that refuses to do what society has established as normal. However, I am shy and I do not expose myself to dangerous situations. I’m not a rebel. I play by the rules, I pay taxes and I don’t skip on line.

But if you ask me, I despise elaborate weddings, I can’t help but see a touch of theater in religious rituals, and I’d avoid a class reunion _ like the plague _ if I were ever invited to one. I hate having my picture taken, and just for a moment, I also hate the person taking it, and I must admit I loathe smartphones. People say I am quiet, and indeed, I don’t talk unnecessarily.

YOU DO KNOW ME
And I can go on and...

Information:

• Source: Under the Sun Notebook
• Key: F Major/ D Minor
• Measures: 36
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 3:32
• Pages: 4 Pages

My life isn’t defined by choosing one side or the other, but by how I move between opposites

EMBRACING DUALITIES
One of the most fascinating realizations I’ve had as a composer is that every concept in music has its counterpart which can be used to our advantage to make beautiful music. This discovery opened up a world of possibilities, not only for music composition, but strangely, for how I see the world.

Just as we live in a world full of contrast - up and down, black and white, deep and shallow, savory and sweet, sick and healthy, fast and slow - music thrives on opposites. Opposites are not enemies, they are partners. Contrast creates meaning in music, as well as in daily life. For example; a sweet melody feels sweeter after dissonance...