DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Trinidad Concha, the singing cobbler of El Paso. Now, some folks leave a mark on a place through war, or politics, or land. Trinidad Concha left his mark through music — and, if we're being honest, through one very decisive act of walking away from a military band in the middle of a performance on foreign soil.
Concha was born in 1862, and by the time history got a proper hold of him, he was servin as the assistant director of Mexican President Porfirio Diaz's Touring Military Band — a position he held in 1893 and 1894. Now that is no small thing. Diaz's military band was the kind of outfit that traveled with the full weight of a nation's pride behind it.
And yet, somewhere on a stage in the United States, Trinidad Concha made his decision. He deserted. Just like that.
The band played on, presumably, but Concha was done. Unwilling to risk prosecution back in Mexico after his desertion, he settled in El Paso, Texas. And that, friend, is where the real story begins.
He accepted an invitation to join the McGinty Band, and then in 1897 he went and did what a man of his particular vision was always going to do — he formed his own outfit. Concha's Mexican Concert Band. By 1907, that band had grown to forty members.
Forty. And here's a detail worth sittin with: a dozen of those members were former members of Diaz's own Military Band. The very band Concha had deserted.
Turns out he wasn't the only one who'd made his way north. His music has been described as a synthesis of traditional Mexican folk and contemporary orchestra. His repertoire included Mexicanized European operas, polkas, and waltzes — and El Paso's music-loving audiences ate it up.
The band performed regularly at Cleveland Square, and you'd find them at building dedications, weddings, funerals, balls, and parties. A diverse audience favored his sound, and Concha made sure to show up wherever the community gathered. To keep the lights on, he worked in shoe stores — earning him the nickname the singing cobbler.
Not a bad title for a man who stitched together two musical worlds every time he picked up a baton. He was also something more than a performer. In 1905, St.
Ignatius Church of El Paso hired him to assemble a young women's orchestra. By 1908, that orchestra had begun performing public concerts. Concha wasn't just playing music — he was building the next generation of musicians.
Now, if you want to talk about moments that stop the clock, consider this: on October 16, 1909, U.S. President William Howard Taft and Mexican President Porfirio Diaz held a historic meeting at the El Paso-Juarez border. Trinidad Concha composed two original pieces and performed for that occasion.
The man who had once deserted from Diaz's own military band was now composing music for a moment Diaz himself would attend. History has a long memory and a dry sense of humor. But Concha's most celebrated performance came on April 27, 1911.
He crossed into Mexico — for the first time in fifteen years — to serenade several hundred Maderista Revolutionaries. Fifteen years of keeping himself on the American side of that border, and when he finally went back, it was to play for a revolution. Trinidad Concha died in 1933.
He had spent decades shapein the musical life of El Paso and the Southwest, one band, one orchestra, one performance at a time. The singing cobbler. The deserter who became a community pillar.
The man who played for presidents and revolutionaries alike. Some people are just built to make music wherever they land.
What the marker says
Trinidad Concha (1862-1933), the “singing cobbler,” impacted popular music culture by creating and cultivating various bands in the El Paso area during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Concha, whose music has been described as a synthesis of traditional Mexican folk and contemporary orchestra, served as the assistant director of Mexican President Porfirio Diaz’s Touring Military Band in 1893 and 1894. He deserted the Mexican Military while performing in the United States. Unwilling to risk prosecution in Mexico after his desertion, Concha settled in El Paso and accepted an invitation to join the McGinty Band. In 1897, he formed Concha’s Mexican Concert Band. By 1907, the band was comprised of forty members, including a dozen former members of Diaz’s Military Band. Concha’s music was favored by a diverse audience. His band performed regularly at El Paso’s Cleveland Square and at various building dedications, weddings, funerals, balls, and parties. His repertoire consisted of Mexicanized European operas, polkas, and waltzes, which were popular with music loving El Pasoans. Concha, who supplemented his income working in shoe stores, was also a leader in the musical development of the community. St. Ignatius Church of El Paso hired him in 1905 to assemble a young women’s orchestra that, by 1908, began performing public concerts. Notably, Concha composed two original pieces and performed during the historic meeting of U.S. President William Howard Taft and Mexican President Porfirio Diaz at the El Paso-Juarez border on October 16, 1909. Concha’s most celebrated performance took place on April 27, 1911, when he entered Mexico for the first time in fifteen years to serenade several hundred Maderista Revolutionaries. Concha continued to influence the music of the southwest until his death. 175 YEARS OF TEXAS INDEPENDENCE * 1836-2011