ÓNIX Ensemble

Mexico's highly acclaimed ÓNIX Ensemble will perform a concert of adventurous 20th- and 21st-century works for flute, clarinet, and percussion, including the world premiere of a new work by composer and WWU faculty member Charles Halka.

About ÓNIX Ensemble

Considered one of the best chamber music projects by the Royal Philharmonic Society of London. ONIX ENSAMBLE is a well known and acclaimed group of Mexican musicians dedicated to promote the best of Latin American and Mexican contemporary music today. AII members have the experience of soloists and are virtuosi musicians: Alejandro Escuer flutes. Fernando Domínguez clarinets. Abel Romero violín. Edgardo Espinosa violoncello, Edith Ruiz piano, lvan Manzanilla, percussion and frequent guests artists such as Rodrigo Sigal electronics. Oescribed as Unique in Latín America, exceptional, hypnotic...with amazing strength and musical expressiveness (Classical Music Review), ONIX was founded in 1995 to be the voice of Mexican and Latin American composers under the honored principles of cultural diversity. high quality musical craftsmanship and artistic originality.

ONIX offers a unique panorama of exclusive dedicated works. which are often influenced by literature, theatre. the visual arts and new technologies. Furthermore, ONIX has worked on building bridges and new forms of expression by stimulating the creation of special pieces that combine classical music with other musics and aesthetic traditions. The idea is to promote new composers with the artistic vision of expanding and developing contemporary music idioms. The main strategy of the ensemble consists of national and international collaborations which translate into recordings. world premieres. commissions. residencies. tours and the launching of a diversity of projects. ONIX has premiered many works dedicated to the ensemble and has toured extensively in Mexic , the United States. South America and Asia. The ensemble has started a successful seminar on contemporary music called Seminario de Música Contemporánea (SEMUC) which started in 2008 and has had guest performers and composers from all over the world.

In ONIX's desire to promote inclusive musical development. it carries out two projects of artistic exploration and experimentation; one of them. another ensemble within the ensemble specialized in new technologies of audio. video. multimedia. electroacoustic music and improvisation called LUMÍNICO [www.luminico.org).a project that has been extremely successful in places such as Japan. China. Colombia. Poland. Austria. and Germany. The second one. Duplum for bass clarinet and percussion is other successful derivation of ONIX with many premieres and commissions.

The group has earned prizes and acknowledgements from Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes. México en Escena Award 2004-2006 and 2007-2009, 2008-2011 and 2013-2015; 2017 Fomento a Proyectos y Coinversiones Culturales Award. Top Ten Grammy Latino nomination in 2004. Rockefeller Foundation México-US award. among others. Other institutions that have grant- ed support to ONIX are Fundación BBVA Bancomer; Coordinación Nacional de Música y Opera. Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Escuela Nacional de Música; Chamber Music lnternational; Festival Interna- cional Cervantino; Centro Nacional de las Artes; Foro Internacional de Música Nueva Manuel Enríquez; Festival de México en el Centro Histórico; Americas Society in New York; Gaudeamus Foundation among many others. ONIX is also a non-profit organization with the mission to enhance and redirect the role of music in society through community and educational projects of high standards and human values. AII members are highly qualified professors at the National University of Mexico (UNAM).
ONIX has recorded for Grupo Actus. Ouidecim Recordings and Urtext Digital Classics/ Naxos.

  "With extraordinary precision and a very high degree of musical craftsmanship. ONIX is a true great Mexican asset"    
CLASSICAL MUSIC REVIEW

AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE

AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE

  "A balanced program of great virtuosity...rigorous in its presentation...interpretative freshness and vigorously expressive"    
José Wolffer. REFORMA