Comments on: Omar Hernández-Hidalgo, 1971-2010

By: D. Butorac

D. Butorac — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 21:03:35 +0000

Rest in peace, Omar. Thank you for the music you shared with us.

By: Andrew Wickesberg

Andrew Wickesberg — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:58:17 +0000

I am truly shocked to hear the news that Omar has left this earth in such a terrible way. I remember vividly his performance of Benjamin’s Viola-Viola when I was an undergraduate at IU. The world will miss his artistry, as well as his smile.

Andrew Wickesberg
violist, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

By: David Gil-Hidalgo

David Gil-Hidalgo — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 03:20:44 +0000

For my family and all the musical community this is an irreplaceable loss and a horrendous sample of how putrid modern society is.

I thank everyone for their kind words and this website for publishing the news about my brother’s horrendous assassination. We are very comforted by your empathy and moved by the deep admiration you held for my brother.

I can only hope that the cruel criminals that ended his life so horribly are brought to justice.

By: Michael Matthews

Michael Matthews — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 09:17:51 +0000

This is terribly sad news on so many levels. What a loss, not only to family and friends, but to the musical community. How senseless.

Michael Matthews
composer

By: Graciela Guillén

Graciela Guillén — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 05:55:27 +0000

Sin palabras suficientes para expresar nuestra indignación y pena, un abrazo para su familia. En este mundo de terribles contradcciones el talento de Omar ya lo ha trascendido todo y nos quedará el consuelo de su obra. d.e.p.

By: Carmen-Helena Tellez

Carmen-Helena Tellez — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:44:16 +0000

Dear Friends,

I want to quote here the marvelous verses about Omar that poet Ricardo Yáñez has published in La Jornada in Mexico:
RETRATO DE HOMBRE CON VIOLA
Algo casual, aunque andas bien vestido/ y peinado, te ves en esa foto/ en la que sin embargo algo se ha roto/ y nada de su sitio se ha movido.// Sopla un aire de viola estremecido/ en la tanta quietud, ahora lo noto,/ un aire que no se oye y anda herido/ pero calla por ti, de ti devoto.// Alegre no te miras, sí contento/ y relajado y de reojo atento/ al pulirse la luz en tu instrumento.// Y el arco, que tus manos entretiene,/ frota la oscuridad de lo que viene…/ Y el tiempo en ese instante se detiene.

By: Linda McDougall

Linda McDougall — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 04:59:42 +0000

Omar loved to play here in Guanajuato at the Cervantino Festival. He inspired, encouraged and played with students and professionals, and I never missed any of his intimate concerts and recitals. I still see him sitting alone after a concert on a city bench, smoking a cigarette…somehow looking so vulnerable. He was the darling of Guanajuato, and never did the viola move me more deeply than when he picked it up – turning contemporary music into something that evoked an almost Romantic passion.
The thought that he died this terrible death has sickened all who were touched by him – through his infectious smile, his generous nature, but above all, by the way he brought the viola – some almost too big for his stature – into the foreground. How his family can bear this is beyond me, and we swear that those who ended his life will be brought to the most extreme justice.

Rest in peace, if possible, our beloved musician and friend..

By: Dan Allcott

Dan Allcott — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 20:00:19 +0000

I am touched by this tragic loss. Omar was quite simply, one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Because of his gentle personal nature, it was always stunning to hear him play. It was as if he kept an enormous presence in check, and then it unleashed when he picked up the viola.

My prayers go out to his family.

By: Carmen-Helena Tellez

Carmen-Helena Tellez — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 22:38:12 +0000

It is a testament to Omar’s beautiful contributions to our art that so many of you have responded. Again, we thank Sequenza21 for having posted this obituary, which has become a meeting point for the English speaking friends and admirers of Omar Hernandez-Hidalgo.
I want to share here the news that a letter signed by more than 200 artists has been sent by composer and conductor Leonardo Coral to the Mexican paper La Jornada, claiming justice for Omar.

http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2010/06/12/index.php?section=cultura&article=a08n1cul

By: Michael McDonagh

Michael McDonagh — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 07:58:13 +0000

lighting

Puebla