Blog Post No. 21: Working for Peanuts in Chicago
Working for Peanuts in Chicago
This ballet takes places in Chicago in 1928. It is based on two songs: "El Manisero" (by Moisés Simons) and "Chicago Breakdown" by (Louis Armstrong).
"Working for Peanuts in Chicago" honors Cubans who settled in Chicago, as well as George Gershwin, Aaron Copland & Leonard Bernstein who I sometimes think of as my musical uncles — and imaginary mentors.
The compositional process sometimes surprises me: this piece is the first time I recognize the influence of William Schuman in my work.
