Taylor Guitar Ensemble Performs in Washington

Mid-school musicians were invited to be part of American Music Salute.

The Taylor Guitar Ensemble and director Liz Torres visited Gettysburg National Military Park as part of the American Music Salute.

May 8, 2012

The 10-member Taylor Guitar Ensemble played the tour of a lifetime last week when they traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the American Music Salute. It’s the first time a middle school group from New Mexico has been invited to the event.

Ensemble members served as ambassadors from New Mexico and performed at several famous venues in the Washington area. They performed in Gettysburg, Pa., site of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War in 1863. President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous address there several months later.

The group also performed at the VA Medical Center in Washington. A scheduled performance at Arlington National Cemetery was cancelled because of weather concerns.

“The students had an absolute blast,” said Liz Torres, Taylor’s chorus teacher and director of the ensemble. “We got to represent New Mexico on our centennial.”

The American Music Salute is a national celebration of music and historic occasions. For two decades, the organization has invited school music groups from around the country to perform at famous landmarks in observance of historic occasions. The next few years mark the quid-centennial—150 years—of the Civil War.