When world-renowned New Mexico musician Cipriano Vigil Sr. took the stage at Northern New Mexico College’s Nick Salazar Performing Arts Center, Oct. 5, he thought it was just another gig — his second of the day.
Vigil, who performed at an Albuquerque elementary school earlier in the day, hurried back to Rio Arriba County to play a show that his son Cipriano Vigil Jr., and daughter Felicita Pino, put together.
Music is the elder Cipriano Vigil Sr.’s passion, so he didn’t balk at the second performance, even if he had to tap into his energy reserves to pull it off.
“Cippie (Cipriano Vigil Jr.) told me, ‘We have a gig that we have to go play,’” he said. “I told him if it is in the evening, I can probably make it, but I will be tired. But that is OK, when it comes to music, I get on stage and I am a different person. I love that.”
Cipriano Vigil Jr. did not provide his father or the public with too many details because he wanted to keep the brief ceremony that followed the concert a secret. Vigil Jr. organized the concert and ceremony so a representative from the state government could surprise him with a Certificate of Appreciation.
“I told him we have a concert,” Vigil Jr. said. “But we couldn’t publicize it too much because he has too many friends and it would have leaked out.”
About 30 of the musician’s closest friends and family members attended the concert and the ceremony afterward, honoring him.
The state’s Department of Finance Bureau Chief Debbie Romero said she didn’t know much about Vigil Sr. or his work, until a few months ago. Since then, she has done her homework and what she discovered left a lasting impression.
“About four months ago, all I knew of Dr. Vigil was his name,” she said. “And the more I have been able to learn about him, the more I am impressed. I am humbled and honored.”
Romero, on behalf of Gov. Susana Martinez, presented Vigil Sr. with the certificate. The award commemorates the contributions he has made to Northern New Mexico culture, through his music and storytelling.
“I applaud the hope and inspiration you have created for countless people in our state,” she read from the certificate. “You have proven to be a tremendous asset to the state of New Mexico and I am sincerely grateful of your efforts.”
Vigil Sr. said he was truly surprised to receive the certificate for doing what he loves.
“What I have done, I have not done for accolades, awards or anything,” he said. “What I do, I do from the heart to help the youth with what I can. The only means I have had in my life is my music and the knowledge I have acquired. I am willing to share that with anybody.”
Vigil Sr.’s longtime friend Jose Rojas, whom he met 30 years ago while the latter was working on a graduate degree, said the honor was long overdue.
Rojas credits Vigil for helping set him on a path that has allowed him to travel the world five times, work for two presidents and have an office on Capitol Hill.
“You changed my life sir, and I will be forever grateful,” he said. “And you have changed the lives of countless children as you have traveled to elementary schools, teaching children how to make guitars using a cigar box. Poverty can’t stand in the way of learning how to play a guitar in Don Cipriano’s world.”
Rojas said the work Vigil Sr. does with students is essential for keeping alive the traditions and values that have been a part of the region since the Spanish arrived, 400 years ago.
That is because each note he teaches a student is accompanied with the song’s history and meaning.
The award came about, Rojas said, after he and a few El Rito area residents discussed the importance of honoring the musician and oral historian. The idea prompted Rojas to contact Martinez’s office and her staff agreed that the lifelong Northern New Mexican musician should be honored.
“His presentation is strictly educational, cultural and value-driven,” he said. “In his humility, having never imagined leaving his home state to seek greater career goals, he focused on children. It is that level of humility that a person can disappear and go unnoticed. We thought that a man who has made that level of contributions should be recognized while he is still contributing.”