Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz's "Altar de Cuerda" (String Altar) is a vibrant three-movement violin concerto written for Spanish violinist María Dueñas and premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel in 2022. The work explores themes of cultural hybridization and appropriation through its contrasting movements: "Mudejar Chilango," with its Mediterranean-influenced melodies that nod to the soloist's Andalusian roots; the lyrical "Canto Abierto," where orchestral harmonies swell and contract beneath the floating violin line; and the virtuosic "Maya-Deco," a rhythmically driving finale featuring a challenging cadenza that cleverly references American imitations of Mexican cultural icons.

Conductor Paolo Bortolameolli led the Minnesota Orchestra with First Associate Concertmaster Susie Park as violin soloist in this performance on February 14, 2025.