Skip Links

Find an Expert View All Stories

Department: Music

Lorenzo Trujillo

By

Lorenzo A. Trujillo, Ed.D., J.D., is an affiliate professor in the Department of Music at Metropolitan State University of Denver. He is also the director and founder of the mariachi ensemble and the mariachi program called Los Correcaminos de MSU Denver.

Trujillo began playing mariachi and traditional southwest Hispanic music as a teenager with the Mariachi Alegre and the Southwest Musicians. He is now the director of the Southwest Musicians and was appointed to Direttore della Musica Sacra Ispanico of the Conservatory of Music for the Cathedral/Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver in 2016. Trujillo began teaching at MSU Denver in 2015 and became the first professor to teach a mariachi program at the University. He is also a practicing attorney at his own firm, Trujillo Legal, specializing in estate planning and business nonprofit and education law. Trujillo has received several awards over the years, with the most recent ones being inducted into the Colorado Chicano Music Hall of Fame in 2009; and was presented with the Tesoro Cultural Center’s Tesoro de Oro Award in 2011.

Trujillo has presented thousands of concerts and lecture demonstrations and has published extensively about traditional music and dance of the southwestern United States over the past 40 years. He has also published work on education policy, such as “Education of Latino Youth: Early Childhood Education, K-12, Access to Higher Education.” “Dream Act: Discussion and Testimony before the U.S. Senate Democratic Hispanic Task Force.” In addition, he has recorded and performed for television and radio and on numerous CDs, with his most popular CD being “The Golden Age of the Southwest: From 1840 to Hollywood.”

Trujillo received his juris doctorate from the University of Colorado Law School in 1993 and his doctorate in education from the University of San Francisco in 1979.

Alex Komodore

By

Alex Komodore is a Denver-based virtuoso guitarist. His powerful interpretations, formidable technique, and natural musicianship have won unanimous praise from critics, audiences, and many of the world’s finest guitarists. First Prize National winner in the Music Teachers National Association 1985 guitar category, his subsequent appearances on NPR and PBS broadcasts brought swift national acclaim. John Dileberto of PBS Echoes, gave his collaborative 1990 CD Redstone with flutist Rod Garnett a rare highest rating, which also earned the coveted “Best of Westword” best classical recording of 1990. He has played as soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra soloist in virtually every concert venue along the Front Range. He has performed extensively across the United States, including at New York’s Town Hall at the age of 11, a solo recital in historic New York’s St. Paul’s Chapel at the age of 16, and an appearance at the United Nations while still a music performance major at New York University. His 1994 solo debut recording Passport won praises from several of the world’s most prominent guitarists, including Christopher Parkening and Sharon Isbin, both who hailed his interpretation of Carlo Domeniconi’s Koyunbaba as “Terrific!” Of his cd, David Russell, remarked, “Played with beautiful atmosphere, and great skill.” His many CD appearances on Etherean, Folk Era, Delos, Salt, and Poco a Poco labels have received global distribution, including worldwide airplay at the 1992 Summer Olympics from Barcelona. His recordings and appearances with top-notch choral ensembles such as Kantori and the St. John’s Cathedral Choir have also received national acclaim. His columns on guitar technique and advice have also been featured in Fingerstyle Guitar magazine.

David Kish

By

David Kish, DMA, is a professor and director of bands in the Department of Music at Metropolitan State University of Denver. His areas of expertise include music education, teacher preparation in music and conducting. He teaches Introduction to Music, Basic Conducting, Symphonic Band and Teaching Secondary Music, among others.

Prior to joining MSU Denver, Kish was the associate director of bands at the University of Georgia. He has been at MSU Denver for nearly 15 years. Kish currently serves as conductor and musical director for the Colorado Wind Ensemble.

He has published works about music education, conducting and musical practice, including “To Beat or Not to Beat … That is the Question …” and “Teaching Music Through Performance in Band.” Kish has given over 15 presentations in high schools and at conferences around the country and has been invited to perform. He was presented with the Excellence in Teaching award from MSU Denver and the 2018 Best Book in Music Education from School Band & Orchestra Magazine, among others.

Kish received his Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in Instrumental Conducting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2003 and 2002, respectively, and a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Susquehanna University in 1998.