A blast of rich melody, booming brass and soaring strings colored the sunny Latino beat that rung from campus when the Latin American Music Festival hit town in April. Leading talent from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico and Peru performed on exotic instruments like the tiple, bandeoneon, zampona and siku. World premieres of five musical works were the highlight of the annual three-day festival, which also featured folk, salsa and ballet folklorico dancing. TCU student Arturo Rodriguez, a former Mozart medalist, conducted Mosaico Mexicano, the symphonic work he wrote as a tribute to legendary Mexican composer Manuel Esper—n. The piece played to rave reviews recently in Mexico, at a TCU Orchestra concert that Esper—n attended. Rodriguez is also writing a symphony for the White House- commissioned Mars Millennial Project that will premier on campus in December.