Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15 through October 15. Here at KBACH, we’ll be highlighting the contributions of Hispanic and Latin American composers and performers throughout the month-long celebration. Here are several of the composers you'll get to know ...Tomás Luis de Victoria (c. 1548 - 1611) Victoria was the most important 16th century Spanish composer. He was an important part of the Counter-Reformation. His late Renaissance sacred choral music is often considered the best of its time. Officium Defunctorum is perhaps his best and most famous work.Pauline Viardot (1821 - 1910) A French mezzo-soprano and composer of Spanish descent, Viardot was known for her wide vocal range and her skill composing for voice. On KBACH, you can hear Cecilia Bartoli's recording of Viardot's, "Hai luli."Teresa Carreño (1857 - 1917) A Venezualan pianist, soprano, composer, and conductor, Carreño became known as the "Valkyrie of the Piano." Composers Amy Beach and Edward MacDowell dedicated compositions for piano to her. In the 1860s, Carreño toured the United States, even playing at the White House for President Abraham Lincoln.Isaac Albéniz (1860 - 1909) Among the most important of post-Romantic Era composers, Albéniz was also a virtuoso pianist, though you'll often hear his music played on guitar. Arguably his most important work is his Suite Española.Enrique Granados (1867 - 1916) You've likely heard the always popular 12 Spanish Dances by Granados. As with other Hispanic and Latin American composers, his works for solo piano are often performed on guitar.Manuel Ponce (1882 - 1948) Ponce was a Mexican composer and scholar of traditional Mexican music and folklore. Start with his Scherzino Mexicano. Originally written for solo piano, it's most often performed with guitar.Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887 - 1959) One of Brazil's best-known composers, Villa-Lobos was also a conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist. His Bachianas Brasileiras have always been popular. Silvestre Revueltas (1899 - 1940) Revueltas studied at the National Conservatory in Mexico City and at the Chicago College of Music. His Sensemayá, based on the poem by Nicolás Guillén, is a fascinating, hypnotic work.Clotilde Arias (1901 - 1959) Born on the shores of the Amazon, Arias became popular in Peru for her song, "Huirachoca." She also translated the Star-Spangled Banner into lyrical Spanish, a commission from the U.S. Department of State.Joaquín Rodrigo (1901 - 1999)A Spanish composer and virtuoso pianist, Rodrigo never quite mastered the guitar, despite writing some of the 20th century's most important works for guitar, including Concierto de Aranjuez and Fantasy for a Gentleman.Alberto Ginastera (1916 - 1983) Ginastera was an Argentinian composer who studied with Aaron Copland and taught Astor Piazzolla. Check out his Cinco canciones populares argentinas.Antonio Lauro (1917 - 1986) The Venezuelan composer wrote some of the 20th century's best music for guitar. If you enjoy a good waltz, listen to Lauro's Valses venezolanos.Astor Piazzolla (1921 - 1992) Piazzolla was born in Argentina but soon moved to Greenwich Village with his family. Later, he returned to Argentina to study classical composition. His Four Seasons of Buenos Aires is a modern masterpiece.Leo Brouwer (1939 - ) Brouwer is a Cuban composer, conductor, and classical guitarist. He's written music for the concert hall (Cuban Landscape With Rain) and the movie theater (Like Water For Chocolate).Gabriela Lena Frank (1972 - ) Drawing on her multicultural heritage, Frank, a contemporary American classical composer, often infuses her works with the sounds of Latin American instruments. Several major orchestras have performed her music. Listen for the Sphinx Virtuosi's recordings of Frank on KBACH.