A Conversation with Armando Castellano

In 2004, Armando Castellano founded Quinteto Latino, an ensemble dedicated to not just showcasing, but centering Latino composers and musicians. The ensemble has had long-term engagement with CMA: the Bay Area-based wind quintet has performed as a showcase ensemble at CMA’s 2018 and 2020 conferences and Castellano previously served on the CMA board. Today, the ensemble presents a wide range of performance and education programs that help break down the barriers between audience and performer, while uplifting Latino voices and musicians.

This year, Quinteto Latino is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by releasing their own video series of chamber works by composers from Latin America, the first three of which are now available to stream on Youtube. CMA’s Jared Cavazos interviewed Castellano about the video series, Quinteto Latino’s history, and doubling down on his commitment to diversity.

I want to hear about the five-part video series you’re releasing for Hispanic Heritage Month. Can you tell me about how you selected the repertoire? 

Quinteto Latino is the only wind quintet, and one of the few chamber ensembles, that performs exclusively music by Latino and Latin American composers in the U.S. What I’ve found in the last 21 years is that it’s a big responsibility (and opportunity) for us to be able to perform and represent the diversity of the Latino classical and contemporary music experience. We’ve picked a diverse set of pieces that reflect the cultural diversity and the idiomatic musical diversity of classical and contemporary music by Latino and Latin American composers. We are careful when choosing the pieces: a commissioned piece, a folk-based piece, and one that is from a composer who does jazz and classical music. 

Speaking of contemporary music, can you talk a little bit about the importance of highlighting music that’s from Latin composers, but that’s not explicitly Latin in character? 

Well, first of all, there is nothing that’s particularly “Latin in character.” The Latino experience in the U.S. is diverse, and much of the music we play sounds like all other contemporary and classical music—it’s just that it’s by Latino and Latin American composers. There’s nothing inherently particular, other than the stereotypes of what people think it should or should not sound like. Very often, it sounds like all other classical and contemporary music. When we do folk-based pieces, there are typical forms, sound qualities, and rhythms that typically come out of Latin America. Some of our pieces use that, but many don’t. 

Why is uplifting Hispanic voices—including composers, presenters, academics as well as musicians themselves—in music communities so important? 

The simple reason is that there is an incredible lack of diversity in the professional classical contemporary music field, whether it be orchestral, chamber music, or solo performance. I started the quintet of a pressing need to be able to replay pieces that reflected my own identity as a Latino, as a Mexican American, as a Chicano, and as a Latino who’s from the U.S. and born in the U.S.  

I studied music and had played in orchestras from when I was young through adulthood and noticed an incredible lack of diversity in every step and corner of the experiences: professors, directors, orchestral colleagues, teachers, the administrative staff, the directors, the audience. Quinteto Latino has become a big experiment around what happens when you center Latinidad within one entire classical/contemporary professional organization that tours and meets regularly throughout the season?  

When it comes to our education programs, the majority of our students are Latinos. The partners that we have in the field, the nonprofit partners, the majority are Latino-run and Latino-serving. The audiences, the musicians that work for the organization, the staff, the board, and the funders, the funders too are all majority Latino-run and Latino-serving. 

Even after 21 years, we’re still asking: What happens when you center U.S. Latinidad in a classical music organization? What happens with the funding? What happens to the audience? What happens to the students we engage with? What happens to the musicians who only play Latino composers? And so the issue is around diversity in the field. Our donor base is very diverse; half of our donors being Latino, and I think that’s unique in the field.  

This is a very difficult time in this country for Latinos. What advice you would give to aspiring Latino composers, performers, and people in the music space for navigating these times? 

I want to speak to Latino composers and performers, but I also want to speak to Latino board members, and Latino philanthropists, and Latino arts administrators. It’s very lonely for these kind of folks. It’s hard to be there. Typically, they are one of few, especially those at the director, admin, or board/funder level in the chamber music field. 

At Quinteto Latino, we’re leaning in multiple ways. We’ve made pivots: less touring, more regional partnerships. There we can bring out a stronger, more politicized voice. Let’s use our power as Western classical musicians to talk more about equity and diversity in the field and what’s happening culturally right now. Let’s highlight and continue to dig into composers that are too often sidelined. I definitely consider myself an activist. And my parents were, too. The first thing I learned is that systemically, things change very slowly. I also learned from my parents that there are waves of change. So how do we ride out these waves that come and go? We’re in a deep wave of silencing for people like me and for those who care about Latino voices. It’s not very consoling right now to be in the middle of it. 

As for emerging professional classical musicians, I would say that it’s really about self-care. Because when we take care of ourselves—or when I take care of myself first, then I can be there for all the communities that need me. I’ve got my side of the street taken care of. I’ve got my emotions in check, and I’m vulnerable. I’m ready to do this interview, I’m ready to be there for my wife, I’m ready to engage with my staff, and my colleagues in a way that’s loving and mindful and open-hearted. It’s counterintuitive often because when we see so many fires as we are now, we want to help with those fires. But when I deal with myself first, I can help put out many more fires.

To learn more about Quinteto Latino visit www.quintetolatino.org.