"King Cuicatl" (kwee-cot-l) is a song cycle and ongoing performance art piece that I created while living as a foreigner in Mexico City. Upon signing a strict one year recording contract with a Mexican record label, I developed the project based on an ancient Aztec ritual wherein a foreign war prisoner (known as an "Ixiptla") was made to impersonate the Aztec God "Tezcatlipoca" for one full year before being sacrificed. I wrote the 12 songs from the perspective of the Ixiptla as he desperately attempts to use the power of his music in conjunction with the illustrious ritual as a device to transform into a genuinely divine creature before the end of the year, thereby transcending the sacrificial ceremony and living forever in perfect harmony. The presentation includes 5 instrumental interludes, each evoking a wild animal meant to accompany the foreign Ixiptla on his radical transformation.

 "King Cuicatl" was developed in collaboration with historians from Mexico City's UNAM University. I first began performing "King Cuicatl" with a large ensemble of musicians from Mexico's indigenous "Mixtec" tribe, later incorporating several orchestras throughout the country including the Oaxaca Symphony, Mexican National Symphony, and Philharmonic Orchestra of Mexico City. After several extensive Mexican tours, I came to New York City in the Spring of 2024 to build a new ensemble and begin performing "King Cuicatl" throughout the United States and beyond.