Episode 36

full
Published on:

16th Jul 2024

1.36 - Jorge Vargas

Jorge Luis Vargas  was born in Piedras Negras, Coahuila in 1971 and currently resides in Eagle Pass, Texas.  His full time job is a band director at Memorial Junior High, where he teaches beginner band, concert band, and Mariachi. His writing career started when he was asked to arrange  several mariachi mariachi songs for the local high school.  After several years of honing his skills as a mariachi composer and arranger, He wrote his first marching band show for CC Winn High School in Eagle Pass.  

After a few years of writing for marching band, he decided to take a chance and submit a string orchestra arrengement of Cielito Lindo to Grand Mesa Music. The arrangenmet was published and is on the J W Pepper  Editor's choice list.   In  2018, Red Giant, his first composition published by Alfred music was released. Since then, Jorge has released several band works published by Alfred Music, Randall Standridge Music, Wingert-Jones Music, and Excelcia Music. Several of his band compositions have been added to the Editor's Choice list, and his band compositions, and some of his peces have also been played at Midwest.

His education includes a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from The University Of Texas-San Antonio, and a Master’s degree in Education from  from  Lamar University

https://jvargasmusic.com/

Show artwork for Composer Chats

About the Podcast

Composer Chats
Composer Chat is a podcast where we talk a little bit about music, a little bit about life, and a whole lot about whatever we feel like at the moment! Each episode I am joined by a special guest composer and we will chat about their pathway towards success in their musical career!

About your host

Profile picture for Jason Nitsch

Jason Nitsch

Jason Nitsch’s music is equally at home on the concert stage, in outdoor venues, and streaming online, reaching the broadest audience of musicians, performers, and music enthusiasts possible. As a composer dedicated to the exploration of new ideas, his music has evolved over a 25-year career to incorporate more and more non-traditional elements, such as effect tracks, sound drops, and enveloping electroacoustic works combining live and pre-recorded elements. Much of his work is rooted in a large ensemble context; his wind ensemble works have received thousands of performances throughout the US including at Midwest, State Music Conferences including Texas, Colorado, and Kentucky Music Educators Associations, Colleges and Universities like Baylor University, the University of North Texas, and Syracuse University, and at other regional music festivals (ITEA).

In recent years Jason has focused on more intimate chamber musical settings, including collaborations with solo musicians such as trumpeter Kate Amrine , Cellist Carolyn Regula (The Cello Doll) and vocalist Michaela Catapano, as well as chamber groups across the US (Chicago Brass Choir), while continuing expand his sizable catalog of works for larger instrumental forces.

Jason is well known for his work as an educator, dedicated to providing young promising musicians with the foundational experiences on which a lifetime of music-making can be built, and is pursuing research into the ways that music students process their experiences as learners and performers.

Combining his long career in music with a deep love of science fiction and a natural talent for storytelling, Jason recently launched his first podcast, “Beyond the Belt: Adventures from the Outer Rim.” “Beyond the Belt” is a collection of 8 original dramatic science fiction episodes for which he served as writer, producer, and composer. It tells the story of a scientific research experiment gone horribly wrong. With Zombies (of course!).

Jason has released three digital albums in recent years, including the Season One Soundtrack from the Beyond the Belt podcast, “1000 Steps to Nowhere", a collection of chamber music compositions, and most recently “The Dead Teach the Living,” featuring nine vocal collaborations ranging from solo works to Orchestral compositions.

Jason is a lover of dogs, video games, and all things Star Wars (yes, even the prequels). He is also a husband, father of two budding musicians, and a patron of art forms that stretch traditional boundaries.

He currently lives in Waxhachie, TX with his family. He can occasionally be sighted lurking at select music conferences.