Casting the Dice: A Dialogue on Migration Through Music

December 5th, 6pm, UC Santa Cruz Hay Barn

Join us for a special event with composer Iván Enrique Rodríguez and UC Santa Cruz scholar Amy Argenal to discuss the complex experiences of migrants, the many challenges of seeking asylum and refuge in the United States, and the power of music as a tool for social change. 

Presented by The Humanities Institute and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, the event features “Casting the Dice,” an orchestral work narrated and composed by Rodríguez and based on stories collected from migrants around the world. The piece, which premiered at the Cabrillo Festival in Summer 2024, examines the lived experiences of people who have been displaced, delving into the connections of immigrants and refugees with their homelands, and their personal journeys as they navigate rebuilding their lives in a new country. 

Rodríguez will discuss his process composing this orchestral piece with Argenal, a scholar of migration, human rights educator, and active collaborator with local immigrant and refugee rights organizations. Alongside the conversation, attendees will get a chance to connect with groups that offer resources to migrants in Santa Cruz County and advocate for just immigration policies, providing an opportunity to learn about ways to support local efforts in our community.  

This event is free and open to the public but we ask that you please register below.

Co-sponsored by the UC Santa Cruz Department of Sociology, Department of Latin American and Latino Studies, Dolores Huerta Research Center for the Americas, the Arts Research Institute, the Institute for Social Transformation, and the Santa Cruz Welcoming Network.