COLOR DE HORMIGA

A phrase meaning “the color of an ant,” used in the Dominican Republic to describe when something takes a dark or unfavorable turn — a misfortune, something gone awry. This work, scored for accordion, harp, and cello, draws its character from the story of Hypatía Belicia Cabral, a figure from Junot Díaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, as she navigates her teenage years under Rafael Leónidas Trujillo’s dictatorial regime.