By weaving his Latin American heritage into the choral music he creates, Hugo Madera ’19 – conductor, composer and educator – builds a harmonious bridge between two cultures: his roots in Jalisco, Mexico, and the musical training he refined at Hastings College.
“My diverse background in Latin American and, ultimately, American music provides a door to new music,” said Madera, director of choral activities at Adams Central Middle and High Schools in Hastings. “One of my goals is to make a dent in the choral canon, particularly since there’s not much choral music that reflects Latin American and Spanish-speaking influences.”
A Hastings College graduate in music education and vocal performance, Madera composes distinctive works such as “In My Absence,” “Toma Mi Mano” (Take My Hand) and “Pastoral” (based on a 16th-century poem by Christopher Marlowe) that have been performed by ensembles from Texas to Nebraska to Minnesota.
In 2023, he was selected for the New Canon Project, which commissions new works by Black and Latine composers for choir and orchestra. Madera’s piece, “I Am Home,” a choral setting of a poem written by Hannah Jensen-Heitmann ’15, premiered at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts in Dallas, Texas.
He won the Cantus Young & Emerging Composer competition in 2023 with his piece, “El Cenzontle,” which tells the story of the mockingbird according to Mexican folklore. The male a cappella ensemble Cantus, based in Minneapolis, premiered the song and will release it on an upcoming CD.
Selections of “Alebrijes” (fantastical creatures of Mexican folk art), a collection of choral works Madera wrote for his master’s degree in music education at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, will premiere at Hastings College’s Nebraska High School Band and Honor Choir Concert in January 2026 under the direction of Dr. Raoul Carlo (Miggi) Angangco, director of choral activities.
In 2015, as a high school senior from Grand Island, Nebraska, Madera performed with the HC Honor Choir after being encouraged to audition by his choir director, Hastings College graduate Jeff Vyhlidal ’08.
“It’s crazy that my association with Hastings College began with the Honor Choir and, thanks to great people like Miggi, we’ve come full circle,” Madera said.
Discovering his passion for music
Madera lived in a small mountain village in Jalisco, a western Mexican state known as the capital of mariachi music, until he was 13. The family then moved to Grand Island, and Madera enrolled in ESL classes and even taught himself to play the piano.
“I think it was just intuition. Everything just clicked. I learned how to read music when I was a sophomore, and I just figured things out on my own,” he said.
Offered scholarships to larger universities, Madera chose Hastings instead because of his honor choir experiences with Dr. Fritz Mountford ’75 and his desire, as a first-generation student, for the personal mentoring that comes with a more intimate learning environment.
“I wouldn’t be here without Hastings College, particularly the opportunities that come at such a small, homelike college,” he said. “The people here were so supportive. Teachers reached out and provided opportunities and guidance.”
Madera thrived at Hastings College, performing with several vocal and instrumental ensembles; serving on the Student Senate, as vice president of the Student Association and as a resident assistant; and being selected by his peers as a Homecoming royalty candidate.
In 2019, he was named Outstanding Senior in Music and to Who’s Who for his exemplary contributions to the campus community.
Composing the next chapters
Now Madera is serving as an alumni representative on Hastings College’s Music Program Strategic Planning Committee, which is helping shape the direction of the program’s curriculum and facilities over the next several years. Madera is a member of a subcommittee offering suggestions on recruitment and retention.
“It’s an honor to be a part of it and give back,” he said. “It’s also a way to influence and solidify the future of music at Hastings College.”
Madera’s own future as a composer and educator offers several paths forward. He’d like to pursue a doctor of musical arts degree in choral conducting and, perhaps, teach at the college level.
“I didn’t grow up with a standard approach to concert music or the Western music tradition, and I want to provide that and other opportunities for people who have lived a similar life story, whether that’s composing works or continuing my education and providing new resources within the field,” he said.
“Whatever it looks like, I want to continue moving forward and being one of the people who say, ‘Hey, this is a possibility. Here is my culture, here is some repertoire in Spanish, here is Latin American music, here is something out of the ordinary.’”