After attending a faculty workshop in January at the Central College Abroad site in Yucatan, Mexico, Doggett played a few pieces while helping to deliver donated instruments to the Merida ensembles. She wanted to give more to the youth community and talked to José Luis Chan Sabido, director of the youth orchestra, about returning to Merida.
“I asked if there was anything that I could do,” said Doggett. “Jose told me that the thing they needed was inspiration. So he asked me to come back to play and teach.”
During the three-concert tour, Doggett and the string and clarinet chamber orchestra played Carl Maria Von Weber’s “Clarinet Quintet.” One performance was held in the second-largest concert hall in Merida.
“The arts are just a strong pathway to maintaining a connection with Merida,” Doggett said. “The intention of the faculty workshop was to get faculty to these sites and then get students to attend these amazing programs. It was a good artistic sharing between the people of Merida and Central.”
With plans to go back to Merida, Doggett is working on writing a piece with Mexican influences to share with the Yucatecan ensembles.
“As a musician, you need to constantly challenge yourself; otherwise you stagnate and don’t really grow,” said Doggett. “I want to see this happen for our students. The more angles between the college and our study abroad programs, the better.”