Romayne Wheeler
Romayne Wheeler | |
---|---|
Tec de Monterrey, Mexico City | |
Background information | |
Born | 1942 St Helena, CA |
Instrument(s) | piano |
Years active | 1968-present |
Website | Romayne Wheeler Foundation |
Romayne (The Enlightened One) Wheeler (born 1942) is a concert pianist, composer, writer and researcher who is best known for life and work with the
Life
Wheeler was born in 1942 in
Wheeler began playing the piano as a child with his first musical influences being from Latin America, especially the Dominican Republic.[3][5]
His parents sent him to high school in Arizona, and he finished this level in
Career
He is a composer, poet, painter, musicologist and writer.[6] Since 1968 he has performed in 51 countries such as Austria, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Spain, England, France, Serbia, Slovenia, Greece, Crete, Israel, Lebanon, Cypress, Libya, Thailand, Nepal, Taiwan, China, Japan, Canada, the US, Mexico and Peru.[1][7] These performances include major concert halls in Europe and the Americas and regularly appears in Vienna.[4][6]
As a visual artist he paints and draws, using the same calligraphy pens he uses to write music. His artworks have been exhibited, often in combination with a concert.[7]
He remains active as a concert pianist and composer and is best known for dedicating his musical career to helping the indigenous residents of the Sierra Tarahumara.[8][6]
Life in the Sierra Tarahumara
In the 1970s, Wheeler decided to return to the United States to study indigenous music and dance, especially that of the
He arrived later in the year, guided only by a map with a few Tarahumara words, to document indigenous music for the Vienna University of Music. While hiking through the mountain, he met his first local family who were on their way to buy supplies. They were eating and he joined them.[4]
He fell in love with the area and its people, which have changed relatively little despite the influence of the Spanish and modern technology.[2] He has since been accepted by the Tarahumara of the community of Munerachi, which consists of over 380 families in scattered homesteads.[8][7][1] From 1980 to 1992 he came each year to spend two months, writing and studying Tarahumara music and dance, while living in a local cave. During these times he brought a solar powered piano, which he used to help break the ice between locals and himself. While initially distrustful of the unfamiliar instrument, the Tarahumara eventually called what it played “water music,” with water being an important element in their lives. He also composed new piano pieces based on Tarahumara music, traditionally played on violins and sound similar to Scottish jigs.[4][1]
In 1992, Wheeler decided to live in the Sierra Tarahumara permanently.
Wheeler dedicates most of his income from concerts and record sales to the Tarahumara with the rest to his subsistence.[2] From 1985 to 2000 his donations went to support the St Teresita Clinic in Creel, run by the same Rev. Luis Verplancken whose photographs appeared in the National Geographic article.[7][4][3] Since 2000, he has run his own nonprofit organization dedicated to the medical and educational needs of the region.[2][7] The work of this organization includes the Retosachi Medical Center, which takes care of over 400 families, and Wheeler has convinced the Austrian government to sponsor a school for the Munerachi community. He says his work is only a drop compared to what is needed, especially during drought years when crops fail and there is widespread hunger.[3][6]
He feels that the Sierra Tarahumara is his home and the Tarahumara his people, although Wheeler stands out with his height, complexion and blue eyes.[3] He wears Tarahumara shirts and huaraches for his concerts, which he began in 1985 at the suggestion of his Tarahumara neighbor, Juanito.[2] His first Tarahumara piano pupil was his godson, Romeyno Gutierrez Luna. Romeyno went on to study at the Chihuahua Conservatory and has performed and both Mexico and the United States.[7][9][2] In early 2014, the two toured Europe together.[3]
In 2013 Wheeler was awarded the “Real Heroes of Mexico” award by The MEXICO Report.[10]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Aracely Sanchez (November 4, 2014). "Hoy, el concierto de Romayno Wheeler en Teatro de la Ciudad". Chihuahua: El Heraldo de Chihuahua. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Romayne Wheeler, el apostol musical de los rarámuris". Chihuahua: La Redacción. January 29, 2014. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Anthony De Palma (December 19, 1995). "Creel Journal;A Pianist Dreams His Own Unconquered Mexico". New York Times. New York. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ a b "Romayne Wheeler". Radio Tarahumara. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Idoia Leal (July 28, 2013). "Wheeler, el piano por la Sierra Tarahumara". El Siglo de Torreón. Torreon. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "About". Romayne Wheeler Org. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ a b "Concierto de Gala Romayne Wheeler en 30 Aniversario Tec de Mty – Campus León". Chihuahua: Maglion magazine. November 4, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ "Romayne Wheeler presenta concierto en el Teatro de la Ciudad Tiempo Chihuahua, Chihuahua". Chihuahua: Tiempo. November 4, 2014. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ Susie Albin-Najera (August 13, 2013). "The Mexico Report Announces 2013 Real Heroes of Mexico Awardees". The MEXICO Report. Retrieved December 16, 2014.