Meet Carlos García, the Yaqui composer for the Beyond the Wall documentary’s soundtrack

By Dawn Page

Summary: A son of the desert continues breaking barriers and making bridges with his sound of music

Carlos García, orchestra conductor, composer, and music educator who has been Ambassador for the Arts of Mexico, is the artist behind the original music score to Beyond the Wall: The Journey Between Life and Death, a documentary produced by students of the University of Arizona’s School of Journalism Border Reporting class, taught by Prof. Liliana Soto.

The documentary will premiere at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 12 at the UA’s Student Union Memorial Center Bookstore. The multimedia project also includes a website that hosts a podcast, articles, and a photo gallery.

García was born and raised in Guaymas, Sonora, México in the Yaqui culture, one of the most vibrant and unique cultures in the world. 

Proud of his cultural heritage, García considers himself a son of the desert, so when the opportunity to compose the doc’s soundtrack was presented to him, it struck a chord and was interpreted as a sign from the universe and the Yo’eme (Yaqui) tribe to continue spreading his wings.

“Music is my passion and my life,” stated García. “I always listen to the sound of music everywhere, any … sound in this life is music.”

La Muerte del Capullo (The Death of the Caterpillar Cacoon), is the title of the instrumental music suite that marks the debut of García as a film music composer. For this installment, the Sonoran musician composed six tracks including Soñando (Dreaming,) Desierto (Desert,) Muerte (Death,) Inframundo (Underworld,) Resurrección (Resurrection,) and Tocando Fondo (Hitting Rock Bottom) from which three additional movements rose.

“What sparked my inspiration to develop the music for this film project is similar to my mission in life," García said. “I want to break down boundaries in this world, especially in the U.S., and generate more opportunities for the arts to be inclusive.”

The Mexican-American artist and educator said that butterflies inspired him during his creative process of making these musical pieces.

“I was thinking about the butterflies. Butterflies are super important in my life,” he said. “I believe butterflies are people that are dead and just return to say hi and to convey the message to enjoy time in this world.”

An impressive trajectory

Before migrating to the United States, Carlos García was appointed by the former President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto as the Ambassador for the Arts of Mexico and was the founding director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Esperanza Azteca Sonora in his home country.

He got a full-ride scholarship to continue his studies in music education at the University of Arizona’s Fred Fox School of Music in Tucson, Arizona. During his tenure in the program, he had the honor of being the main bassoonist for the Graduate Wind Quintet and made history as the second musician of Mexican descent to be part of this prestigious ensemble. 

For this term he created the project Breaking Borders: Making Bridges to generate awareness about the importance of Mexican Culture and Mexican music to the students at the University of Arizona.

After graduating from the program in 2022, he started working at Tucson Unified School District as a music teacher where he created and implemented a new program for exceptional students. In addition to developing the music method, he is currently working as a Spanish teacher at the University of Arizona and is doing a master’s in special education.

“I want to learn more about special education and create better opportunities for exceptional students. Music is the best aid for them and is the perfect field to develop their social skills and express their emotions.”

His objective is to continue creating more opportunities in exceptional education to implement music programs worldwide and continue inspiring educators and new generations of musicians.

“My dream is to transmit the power of music in exceptional education,” concluded García.

Dawn Page is a bilingual multimedia storyteller born in the U.S. Mexico border and a graduate student of Bilingual Journalism.