ABOUT
The Memorias Project is an immersive artwork. The work is an archival-based recital and art installation dedicated to the history of Mexican Americans in Austin, free and open to the public, with two performances at Dadalab June 20-21, 2026. This project is funded by the City of Austin and directed by Claudia E. Zapata.
WHEN
Dadalab
2008 Alexander Ave, Austin, TX 7872
JUNE 20, 2026 at 7 PM
JUNE 21, 2026 at 1PM
Click here for event tickets.
Protests, led by Austin’s Chicano community, against the boat races during Aqua Fest, 1970s
WHAT
The event will be an immersive concert of original compositions and pre-recorded music performed by several musicians, including Claudia Chapa (opera), Corey Blais (cello), Joseph Choi (piano), and Pinche Juan (DJ). While the musicians perform, digital and generative art animations co-developed by creative technologist David Sydiongco and Claudia E. Zapata will serve as a backdrop. These musical compositions, animations, and projections will draw on documentary footage and archival research grounded in East Austin community spaces, local collections, such as the Austin History Center, Preservation Austin, and Mexic-Arte Museum. The compositions and animations will follow a chronological framework guided by three movements.
Movement one will discuss the cultural diaspora of immigrants from Mexico to Austin and the eventual removal of Black and Mexican communities per Austin’s 1928 City Plan. Themes of disruption, sadness, and longing will guide the sonic and visual. Movement two will highlight the creation of Mexican East Side communities, including spaces like the Oswaldo A.B. Cantu/Pan American Recreation Center. This sound will include nostalgia, celebration, joy, and cultural pride. Movement three will frame resistance, protest, and historical strikes. Historical moments like the Aqua Fest Boat Races protest will be central to this representation. As part of the interactive theatre, all audience members will receive interactive elements and an informational zine to learn more about Austin history referenced in the experience.
Claudia Chapa, Carnegie Hall, New York City, 2025.
FEATURED ARCHIVES (EXCERPT)
Trio Los Amigos, 1965.
Austin-1935 [Redlining] Home Owners' Loan Corporation. Residential Security Map (National Archives, Record Group 145, Austin Texas Folder)
Alfonso Ramos Band plays for a wedding reception at the San Jose Community Center, 1970. Photography by Joan Penzenstadler.
Altar to Roy Lozano at Mexic-Arte Museum, 1998.
WHO
Claudia Zapata (Lead artist)
Claudia E. Zapata (they/them) earned their Ph.D. in art history at Southern Methodist University’s RASC/a: Rhetorics of Art, Space, and Culture program. They received their BA and MA in art history from the University of Texas at Austin, with a specialization in Maya art of the Classic period (250-900 CE). Zapata was the curator of exhibitions and programs at the Mexic-Arte Museum in Austin. From 2018-2022, Claudia was the curatorial assistant of Latinx art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, working on the award-winning exhibition, ¡Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965-Now (2020) and curating Radical Histories: Chicanx Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Claudia Chapa
(Opera Soloist)
Claudia Chapa (she/her) is an award-winning performer, curator, and Latine cultural advocate. She is the Associate Director of Artistic Administration and the Curator of Hispanic and Latinx Programming at Austin Opera. As a mezzo-soprano, she performed with Dallas Opera, Virginia Opera, San Diego Opera, St. Petersburg Opera, among many other houses. Recent highlights include recording Handel’s Messiah with the Royal Philharmonic at the famed Abbey Roads Studios. In 2017, Chapa made her Carnegie Hall debut as the mezzo soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with Distinguished Concert International New York (DCINY). She received the prestigious Silverman Award, the Monica & Roger McNeill Award and is a grant recipient from the Olga Forrai Foundation. In 2015, she participated in the Young Artist Program at The Glimmerglass Festival and studied vocal performance at the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin. In 2022, Austin Opera appointed her as their inaugural Curator of Hispanic and Latinx programming. In this role, she spearheads programming in Spanish and develops initiatives to increase Latine communities’ access to opera. Her dedication to cultural representation in opera continues as the founder of the Latine Opera Alliance, a diverse group of Latine-identifying opera singers, creatives, and administrators striving to uplift and advocate for equity and representation in opera.
DJ Pinche Juan
(Featured DJ)
Originating from Monterrey, Mexico, and calling Austin home, Pinche Juan curates diverse, wide ranging sounds on vinyl. Her selections explore nostalgia, atmosphere, and joyful sonic remedies.
Cory Blais (Cellist)
Austin-based cellist Cory Blais has earned a reputation as a versatile and expressive collaborator, performing and recording with artists across a wide range of genres, including concerts with Laufey, Sigur Rós, and Burna Boy, as well as work on an Austin City Limits taping with Queens Of The Stone Age. A core performer in Austin’s Candlelight Concerts, he has also appeared in the city’s newest concert series, Concert Dome. A sought-after chamber musician, Cory has performed for organizations including the Austin Chamber Music Center, Austin’s Beerthoven Concert Series, Austin Unconducted, and Absolute Music Chamber Series in Lansing. He is also a founding member of Austin Camerata, a chamber music organization known for its innovative programming and dynamic artistic partnerships.
Cory has performed with the cello sections of the Houston Symphony, Austin Symphony, Waco Symphony, and Central Texas Philharmonic, and previously served as principal cellist of the Temple Symphony Orchestra. A dedicated educator, he maintains a private teaching studio, works regularly as a clinician with school orchestra cello sections throughout the greater Austin area, and coaches chamber music ensembles through the Austin Chamber Music Center.
David Sydiongco
(Co-visual artist)
David Sydiongco is a Creative Technologist and VJ based in Austin, TX. His work explores the emotional narrative of music through generative visuals and creates immersive experiences through interactive design.
His distinctive style, defined by high-contrast, monochromatic imagery, psychedelic and ethereal landscapes, and an intuitive sensitivity to light and space, transforms live musical performances into immersive visual experiences. Drawing inspiration from the surreal beauty found in both natural and synthetic environments, David crafts visuals that transport you through immense spaces of impossible geometry.
As part of the dadageek collective, David has brought his visual artistry to international stages and beloved local venues alike, from SXSW to Austin's Empire Control Room, Club Eternal, Antone's Nightclub, Beecave Buzzfest, and dadaLab. He has collaborated with a diverse roster of artists including Juan Atkins, Rival Consoles, Machinedrum, Shigeto, D.O.D., Ghostland Observatory, Lealani, Omar Rodríguez-López, Graham Reynolds, Brian Wenner and EMSKI.
Joseph Choi (Pianist)
Joseph Choi is a Korean-American pianist celebrated for his sensitive and sincere artistry across solo, chamber, and collaborative performances. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied under Anton Nel, and a Master of Music from The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Jerome Lowenthal and Matti Raekallio.
Joseph has earned numerous awards, including Second Prize at the NTD International Piano Competition and Best Performance of a Baroque Composer at the San Antonio International Piano Competition. He has performed at prestigious venues such as Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Aspen Music Festival, and collaborated with ensembles including the Austin Symphony Orchestra and the Aeolus Quartet.
A versatile and community-driven artist, Joseph has served as Assistant Conductor for the Vienna Opera Academy, held faculty appointments at Concordia University, and served on the boards of Panoramic Voices and the Pflugerville Arts Council. He currently works as a Teaching Artist and Pianist for Austin Opera, Pianist for the GRAMMY®-winning choir Conspirare, Staff Accompanist at Huston-Tillotson University, and Organist at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church. He is also Music Director for One Ounce Opera’s Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera, an annual showcase of contemporary chamber opera in Austin.
Event Design
Down to Print is a husband and wife run print and fabrication shop in South Texas. Combining James’ 20+ years of professional art and 3D modeling experience with Elizabeth’s passion for seamless client connection, we offer custom apparel, signage, and props tailored to your vision. High-quality craftsmanship, simplified. Visit downtoprinttx.com to see their past projects and request a quote!