Courtesy photo

Robert Mirabal plays his flute during "Music From a Painted Cave." Mirabal will perform tomorrow night at 7:30 in Centennial Hall.

Wednesday September 26, 2001

Flutist performs concert to benefit Native American scholarship

A true Renaissance man, Robert Mirabal fits the bill as musician, composer, master craftsman, poet, actor and screenwriter, all while staying true to his Pueblo roots.

On Friday, he will perform a benefit concert for the Native American student affairs department at Centennial Hall.

His piece, "Music From a Painted Cave," combines music, dance, theatrics and storytelling to give a modern-day twist to old stories.

Mirabal's band, Rare Tribal Mob, will perform with cello, electric guitar, Aboriginal didgeridoo and percussive instruments, along with world champion Native singers and dancers clad in traditional regalia.

Karen Francis-Begay, director of the University of Arizona Native American Student Affairs department, said she and the entire department are excited about Mirabal's performance for a variety of reasons.

"This is very educational for a community who doesn't get to see this on a day-to-day basis," Francis-Begay said.

Though the show is primarily promotional for Mirabal, any leftover profits go to the national American Indian Scholarship Endowments, which benefit Native American undergraduate, graduate and professional students.

"This is a great opportunity to let people know who we are at Native American student affairs and what we do for our (UA) students," Francis-Begay said.

The event is a huge one for the department - Mirabal is quickly becoming popular among the Native American and New Age communities.

Mirabal grew up on the Taos Pueblo in Taos, N.M., where he was raised in a primarily female household. While he attended school, Mirabal said he learned the fundamentals of various brass and woodwind instruments, but it wasn't until he was 18 that he found his true calling - the flute.

"The New Age thing was getting big back then, and as soon as I began playing, people would ask me to perform," Mirabal said. "They say the flute chooses you, and it certainly has changed my life - since then, I've spent most of my time traveling and playing music."

Mirabal's travels took him throughout Europe, North America, Russia and Japan, and he said the exposure to other cultures had a significant impact on his music. Japanese Taiko drumming, West African and Haitian percussion rhythms, Celtic music, rock, blues and hip-hop have all been fused into Mirabal's musical style, while his messages about his culture remain steadfast.

"My music is informed by the ceremonial music that I've heard all my life," Mirabal said. "What I create comes out of my body and soul in a desire to take care of the spirits of the earth."

Mirabal's performances consistently uphold the purpose of honoring the land, his family, his ancestors and his tribe. His life represents the ongoing struggle of American Indians to bridge the gap between traditional Native American values and contemporary American society.

Mirabal released six albums, including Taos Tales, which became one of the nation's top-10 albums on the New Age Voice charts. He has won a New York Dance and Performer's "Bessie" award, and Amazon.com named him Best New Age Artist for 2000. He was also named Songwriter of the Year at the 1998 and 2000 Native American Music Awards.

"Music From a Painted Cave" was filmed as a special for PBS during three performances at the Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut for a live audience of more than 2,000 people.