Golden Hornet’s MXTX

Graham Reynolds + Coka Treviño + Felipe Pérez Santiago + Orión García

As the United States government shut down over plans to build a divisive wall and destructive narratives intensified, the seeds for MXTX were planted. MXTX is a cross-border endeavor that resists, embracing a hybrid musical approach that empowers artists to engage across artistic, cultural, geographic, and political lines. In this workshop performance, get a taste of what’s resulting from the initial collaborative exchange between more than forty DJ-producers and composers from both sides of the Rio Grande as the work evolves into an open source audio sample library, an album, and a full scale live performance that will use the power and depth of the language of music to explore the issues where words often fail us. Presented by Golden Hornet and Co-Commissioned by Ballroom Marfa and Kathleen & Harvey Guion, MXTX is co-curated by Coka Treviño, Orión García, Felipe Pérez Santiago, and Graham Reynolds and supported by the NEA Challenge America program. The complete work will celebrate its release with a Mexico City premiere in Fall 2020 and return to Austin with a premiere at Fusebox Festival in 2021.

Project Management provided by The Projecto. Learn more at www.theprojecto.org.

Golden Hornet: Led by the Artistic Direction of Graham Reynolds, Golden Hornet is an Austin-based 501(c)3 nonprofit that commissions new music, fosters young and emerging composers, and presents adventurous works in non-traditional settings.

Ballroom Marfa: Founded in 2003 by Virginia Lebermann and Fairfax Dorn, Ballroom Marfa is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and a dynamic, contemporary cultural arts space where varied perspectives and issues are explored through visual arts, film, music, and performance. The gallery is housed in a converted dancehall that dates to 1927. As an advocate for the freedom of artistic expression, Ballroom Marfa’s mission is to serve international, national, regional, and local arts communities and support the work of both emerging and recognized artists working in all media. Ballroom Marfa is particularly interested in helping artists and curators achieve projects that have significant cultural impact but would be impossible to realize in a traditional gallery or museum setting.

From Fusebox What is the opposite of a wall? This question has been on my mind a lot the past three years. Or what is a meaningful way to respond to the proposed border wall? The idea of a network seemed like a good place to start. Something that offers connection and exchange like a bridge, but is also multi-directional You can close a bridge. But a network, a plurality of people exchanging and collaborating, has a real strength to it. Golden Hornet’s MXTX embodies this idea in an ambitious, powerful way, fostering a large-scale exchange across the Texas-Mexico border. With this workshop performance at the 2020 Festival Hub, be the first to taste some of the fruits of this dynamic exchange between more than 40 DJ-producers + composers from both sides of the Rio Grande.