Evan Luna

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Abstract

This thesis by Evan Luna explores the intersection of personal identity and Latin American musical traditions through original composition, performance, and reflective analysis. Raised in Lubbock, Texas, Luna experienced early dissonance between his Mexican American heritage and the predominantly white cultural environment of his upbringing. Music served as both refuge and revelation, guiding him through church drumming, studio experiences, and ultimately to a deepening engagement with Latin genres such as salsa, reggaeton, mariachi, and cumbia. The project employs a hybrid methodology combining case study research and auto-ethnography. Through composing and recording a series of original works, including 7 compositions which integrate Folkloric Afro-Cuban bata rhythms while preserving his innate jazz vocabulary, Luna investigates how traditional elements can be respectfully reinterpreted in a contemporary musical context. This creative process is paired with scholarly analysis, transcription, journaling, and collaboration with other Latin musicians to ensure authenticity and depth. Luna’s culminating experience, a recorded album, serves not only as an artistic portfolio but as a vessel for exploring questions of cultural authenticity, musical hybridity, and the role of the Latino musician in modern contexts. By blending technical growth with emotional introspection, the thesis affirms composition as both research and self-expression. The outcome is a body of work that challenges genre boundaries and affirms the value of cultural complexity in artistic identity.

Publication Date

7-1-2025

Campus

Valencia (Spain) Campus

Keywords

Creative Project; Case-study; Autoethnography; Artist Identity; Composition

Discovering My Identity As A Latino Musician

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