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New classical music works usually get a single premiere, a chance for audiences to hear the piece for the very first time.

Rising Mexican composer 鈥� 鈥淢eChicano鈥� is getting six.

鈥淲hich is very unique for a composer,鈥� Contreras admitted during a phone call from his Los Angeles home last week. 鈥淭ypically, I would say, it鈥檚 easier to have a single premiere, but it鈥檚 difficult to take it to other orchestras and establish it in the repertoire (with just one performance).鈥�

Contreras, a native of Guadalajara, Mexico, will be on hand this weekend for premiere No. 3, with the and Music Director Jos茅 Luis Gomez.

The TSO is one of six orchestras 鈥� Tucson, Las Vegas Philharmonic, California Symphony, Fresno Philharmonic, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and the Richmond Symphony 鈥� to commission Contreras as part of the New Music USA鈥檚 two-year-old , which fosters collaborations between orchestras and composers with the goal of achieving more racial and gender equality in classical music.

Contreras, who has been in the United States for 15 years and recently became a citizen, is one of a dozen composers of color to be selected for the program.

鈥淭his is the first piece that I composed as a Mexican-American composer,鈥� he said, adding that the title was inspired by his newfound citizenship.

鈥淢eChicano鈥� celebrates the vibrant Mexican-American communities in the U.S., especially those in the cities whose orchestras participated in the commission.

鈥淎 lot of these communities are in border states so I thought it would be a great idea to honor Mexican-Americans because they have contributed so much to this country,鈥� Contreras said. 鈥淭he idea was to amplify these voices.鈥�

鈥淢eChicano鈥� borrows soundscapes from Mexico and European classical music. Parts of it will sound like a setlist from the 1980s-style Saturday night dances held in some Mexican-American communities to help new citizens discover their own identities and feel more at home, the composer said.

鈥淭hey would incorporate Mexican music with jazz and pop,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n the 1980s, when Mexican-Americans became more prominent, music was the way that they discovered their own identity.鈥�

鈥淢eChicano鈥� is fast-paced and uptempo, opening with the quintessential Mexican flair of a trumpet solo, then weaves quintessential Mexican musical styles from Tejano and pop (think Selena) to groove (think Ritchie Valens) in an orchestral setting. Contreras adds a drum kit, Mexican tubas and a trio of clarinets effecting the sound of an accordion for more authentic Mexican flourishes.

鈥淭he audience will transport themselves to a Saturday night dance and hear all of these melodies inspired by these songs in an orchestra context,鈥� said Contreras, who last month won a 2023 in Music celebrating immigrant contributions to intellectual and cultural life in the U.S.

鈥淚 love it,鈥� Conductor Gomez said of 鈥淢eChicano.鈥� 鈥淚 was already excited when I looked at the score. And when I heard it, I wasn鈥檛 surprised. He really wants to bring out the popular elements of the music, which is real prominent in the music.鈥�

Contreras said his piece should strike a familiar chord with Tucson given its rich Mexican heritage.

鈥淚 think there are very few opportunities where you can attend an orchestra concert and feel that you are being represented on stage and feel connected to the music being performed,鈥� he said.

鈥淢eChicano鈥� opens the orchestra鈥檚 鈥淩achmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2鈥� concert, part of the orchestra鈥檚 隆Celebraci贸n Latina! series that shines a spotlight on Latin composers. Russian-American pianist Natasha Paremski will debut with the orchestra on the Rach 2. Nielsen鈥檚 Symphony No. 4 鈥淚nextinguishable鈥� closes out the program.

The orchestra will perform the concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13, at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. Tickets are $18鈥�$90 through or by calling 520-882-8585.