Rúben Darío Gómez Prada (b. 1973) is a Colombian-born composer currently living and working in the United States, where he is the director of bands at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. His music, including more than a dozen works for band, has been performed in several countries around the world. Before coming to the USA for graduate study in music (MM at Middle Tennessee State University, DMA at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Gómez advised Colombia’s Ministry of Culture on matters related to bands and taught at two Colombian universities. His early music study also happened in Colombia, at the Universidad Industrial de Santander. He has his own website and is featured at the Wind Repertory Project and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.
Gómez wrote Entre Amigos (which translates to “between friends”) in 2022. From the score:
Entre Amigos celebrates friendship among colleagues. It expresses gratitude for those who closely follow our work and enhance it with their wisdom, experience, and constructive feedback. The piece features two primary materials rooted in Colombian rhythms: Bambuco and Currulao. These styles align well because of their rhythmic and melodic similarities, and in some parts, they are almost interchangeable within the piece.
Entre Amigos was commissioned by Dr. Thomas Verrier, director of bands at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, to be premiered at the CBDNA National Conference in Athens, Georgia, in 2023.
Check out more at Gómez’s website and the Wind Repertory Project. Here is that premiere performance:
And here is some of the rhythm that informs it. First, a bambuco:
And one version of currulao, which in this case uses only percussion and voices: