Jesus Martinez Oral History

Object number2019.001.0006

Date01/28/2019

ClassificationsOral Histories

Oral history interview subject Jesus J. Martinez

Oral history interviewer Stephen Fagin

ObjectOral history

Credit LineOral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

MediumBorn digital (.mov file)

DimensionsDuration: 25 Minutes

Terms

Collections

DescriptionVideotaped oral history interview with Jesus Martinez. An award-winning musician and composer, Martinez is assistant band director at Sam Houston High School in Arlington, Texas. His works include "The Sixth Floor," a piece commissioned by The Sixth Floor Museum to commemorate its 30th anniversary in 2019, and "3 Hours in Dallas," a film score to accompany a compilation of Kennedy motorcade footage. Interview conducted at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on January 28, 2019 by Curator Stephen Fagin. The interview is 25 minutes long.

Curatorial Commentary

Exhibit Label: Originally from San Juan, Texas, in the part of the state known as "the Valley," Jesus Martinez grew up in a musical family. He always wanted to be a drummer and was a member of the high school marching band. He attended his first orchestra concert in college and fell in love with orchestral music. Martinez describes himself as a programmatic composer: he finds a story that captivates him, that is something he feels he could invest his time in, and then creates music for it. He spoke Spanish first as a child, then English, but today he sees music as the universal language, the best way for him to tell stories. (Text from Special exhibit, "Art Reframes History," on view on the Museum's seventh floor from September 9, 2020 through May 9, 2021)

Curatorial Commentary

Composer and musician Jesus Martinez has participated in three oral history interviews with The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. This second interview, recorded less than a month before the premiere performance of "The Sixth Floor," was videotaped on the seventh floor immediately following a group interview with the Julius Quartet. Excerpts from this interview were used in a video presentation that preceded the Museum's Presidents Day Concert on February 18, 2019. Portion of this interview can also be seen prior to the concert performance on the Museum's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgHimwmgLJ0. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator