Frank Duarte

ZANATES

PROGRAM NOTES

Zanates takes its title from the plural form of the Spanish word for the common grackle. One night, I was walking through a street, and while talking to a colleague on the phone, I realized sounds were coming from the trees - they were grackles singing. The next day, I walked through the same place, only to hear that the variations of sounds had grown by the hundreds. That night, I started to record these birds, and I recorded different sounds at different times over three nights.

At one point, I saw that lights were coming out of the trees. This shimmering illusion resulted from these grackles moving around between trees and due to them rapidly flapping their wings and reflecting light emitted by lamp posts. Under the right light conditions, grackles will appear to emit shiny colors due to the natural shine of their iridescent feathers. Some of these colors may appear to be purple, blue, or brassy. This composition predominantly features grackles, and it depicts my experience of this unique event. It also explores, develops, and transforms different sonorities, presenting my interpretation of shimmering color and sound.