MIT presents the Boston-area premiere of Golden City by Grammy Award-winning alto saxophonist/composer and MIT faculty member Miguel Zenón. This sweeping extended composition for large ensemble traces San Francisco's demographic and political evolution from pre-colonial times to today's tech-dominated era. The piece showcases Zenón's masterful saxophone work alongside a formidable trombone-centric horn section, guitar, piano, bass, and percussion.

Commissioned by SFJAZZ and the Hewlett Foundation, Golden City has been acclaimed by All About Jazz reviewer Dan McClenaghan as "a triumph... Miguel Zenón at his creative peak. A riveting listening experience." The ever-curious Zenón immersed himself in California's history, from its indigenous communities through its Mexican period, the Gold Rush, and waves of Asian migration. "I talked to about fifty individuals and came out the other side with a lot more information to feed the creative process," he says.

Though not strictly programmatic, Golden City is deeply informed by the places and people Zenón encountered. From the opening lines of "Sacred Land" to the closing passages of "The Power of Community" and "Golden," the music takes listeners on a profound journey. Writing in Stereophile Magazine about the 2024 Grammy-nominated album, Tom Conrad notes, "Golden City defies easy categorization. If it is an 'ethnic' record, its ethnicity is the human race."

Learn more about the project

Program

Miguel Zenón: Golden City (2022, Massachusetts Premiere)   

Sacred Land
Rush
Acts of Exclusion
9066
Displacement and Erasure
SRO
Wave of Change
Sanctuary City
Cultural Corridor
The Power of Community
Golden

From the Composer: 

Sacred Land

Northern California was, in the not too distant past, home to the Ohlone people, a population that extended from the San Francisco Bay all the way to current Monterey. Ohlone descendants are still among us today, proudly carrying on their ancestor’s customs and traditions.

Rush

The California Gold Rush of 1848 was an unprecedented historical event, changing this part of the world in countless ways while simultaneously altering the way we think about migration, capitalism, ambition, and success. It transformed San Francisco from a small settlement of about 200 people into a town of 30,000 within a span of 4 years and in many ways accelerated the population decline of Native Californians.

Acts of Exclusion

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 essentially prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers into the United States. This federal law displays one of the many examples of what happens when ignorance, racism, and xenophobia is accepted and enforced by the highest powers. The act was finally repealed in 1943, after 70 years.

9066

In 1942, fresh from the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attacks during World War Two, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed and issued Executive Order 9066. This extremely controversial act authorized the incarceration of nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans, of which nearly two-thirds were U.S. Citizens, born and raised in the United States. Although the Order was suspended in 1944, the ripple effects from this traumatic experience are still very present within the Japanese American community in the Bay Area.

Displacement and Erasure

Even though the gentrification of San Francisco might seem like a recent phenomenon, it has actually been happening for decades, brutally transforming neighborhoods like The Western Addition, The Mission, Chinatown, North Beach, and Bayview, among many others. Several of these communities are effectively displaced over time, only to start the process over and over again.

SRO

Single-Room Occupancy Hotels (or SROs) are a vital part of San Francisco’s housing and have been throughout the city’s history. Traditionally populated by low-wage workers and transient laborers, SROs have been especially fundamental for immigrant populations, even in present day San Francisco. As new development buildings become customary all across the city, the number of SRO units has been reduced dramatically; what was once 90,000 units is now closer to 20,000.

Wave of Change

Even though they might differ on their methodology and focus, most community centers and organizations in the city agree on one crucial fact: Change is unstoppable and unavoidable. Instead of making their missions to stop this big “Tsunami of Change,” these groups instead make it a priority to be prepared to adapt and reinvent themselves, all for the sake of providing for their families and communities.

Sanctuary City

A term that describes cities or municipalities with active laws focused on protecting their immigrant population. These ordinances range from prohibiting local and state authorities from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regarding undocumented individuals to banning local authorities from detaining immigrants without violent felonies on their records. San Francisco declared itself a “Sanctuary City” in 1989, and the State of California became a “Sanctuary State” in 2017 under bill SB 54.

Cultural Corridor

“Cultural Districts” are geographical areas within San Francisco, defined by its residents’ cultural and historical contributions to the city. Found all over San Francisco and including SOMA Pilipinas, Calle 24 Latino Cultural District and Japantown (among others), these Cultural Corridors are supported by the city and function as virtual representatives of the best each one of these communities has to offer.

The Power of Community

For every hurdle encountered by immigrant communities and minority groups in the city, there are individuals and organizations who make it their mission to fight for their civil and human rights. CARECEN SF, La Raza Community Center, Immigrants Rising, Acción Latina and New Community Leadership Foundation, are among the many groups who provide support, representation and hope for those who can’t find it elsewhere.

Golden

This piece was written as a sort of Post-lude to the project, using a few ideas spanning from the concept of the Golden Ratio. Groove based at its core, the composition was built to feature our wonderful brass section.