Gabriela Lena Frank’s Conquest Requiem brings to life the complexities of colonisation, identity and survival through the story of Malinche, a Nahua woman from the Gulf Coast of Mexico who was given to the Spaniards as a young slave. Using a fusion of Western liturgical traditions, indigenous Nahua poetry and Latin influences, this powerful work deals with the fundamental question of how to reconcile a legacy of historical violence that continues to shape modern issues. Antonio Estévez’s wildly popular Cantata Criolla – considered one of the greatest choral pieces of the 20th century in Latin America – is the composer’s most celebrated work.