UNM Robb Musical Trust

ROBB MINUTE : Joy Comes to Deadhorse

Robb collaborated with Tom Jones (1928-2023), a young unknown lyricist at the time, to create Joy Comes to Deadhorse. The show beautifully illustrates Robb's love of the Southwestern aesthetic. Set on two adjoining ranches, the story centers around an Anglo-Hispanic couple who fall in love despite opposition from their fathers.

The show premiered at the University of New Mexico. It was directed by Eddie Snap, UNM Professor of Theatre and Speech. Robb and Jones were unhappy with the result. After several years of conflicting interest around attempts to rework the score and book, Robb relinquished his rights to Jones. Not long after which, Jones reworked the show with Harvey Schmidt (1929-2018) into a non-Hispanic version. The result was The Fantasticks, which ran for 42 years at the Sullivan Theater in New York for a total of 17,162 performances; the longest running show in theater history.

image: Joy Comes To Deadhorse director Eddie Snap, composer John Donald Robb, lyricist Tom Jones, circa 1956 from the Robb Archive courtesy of the UNM Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections.

learn more about Robb: robbtrust.org/john-donald-robb.html

we are ROBBtrust : Javier Marín López 2024 Música del Corazón co-curator and 2025 underwriting recipient learn more robbtrust.org/the-trust.html

Working with the UNM John Donald Robb Musical Trust has been exceptionally enriching. Serving as co-curator of ¡Música del Corazón! in 2024, receiving support through the 2025 Underwriting Program, and working with the Robb Archives have provided unique opportunities for research, scholarly exchange, and public engagement. These experiences have deepened my understanding of the region’s rich musical heritage and its connections with the broader United States, Mexico, and Spain, while fostering meaningful collaborations that continue to shape and transform my work as a musicologist. --Dr. Javier Marín-López

ROBB UNDERWRITING ~ a lecture “Juan Bautista Ralliere’s Cánticos espirituales and the Making of a Transnational Soundscape in Nineteenth-Century New Mexico” by Dr. Javier Marín López, Professor of Musicology at the University of Jaén (Spain) and a Research Associate at the Latin American & Iberian Institute, University of New Mexico. Bravo, Javier!

Juan Bautista Ralliere’s Cánticos espirituales Tuesday, November 4, 2025 | Frank Waters Room, Zimmerman LibraryC...

we are ROBBtrust : Emilio Méndez Rizo emerging composer, 2025-27 graduate assistant learn more about us robbtrust.org/the-trust.html

Video Feature: Músicas para San Francisco de Asís - Schola Gregoriana Hispana - J. Lara, dir. - Festival de Música Antigua Úbeda y Baeza FeMAUB and Javier Marín López | Músicas históricas hispanas - music from the Robb Archives.

Músicas para San Francisco de Asís - Schola Gregoriana Hispana - J. Lara, dir. - XXIX FeMAUB 2025 Canal Oficial de Youtube de FeMAUB · Festival de Música Antigua de ...

we are ROBBtrust : Kelly Feng // 冯重瑞 emerging composer learn more about us robbtrust.org/the-trust.html

CONGRATULATIONS 2026 UNDERWRITING RECIPIENT Monica Sanchez! Robb Trust is providing funding for a workshop production of THE RIVER IS A SCAR THAT SOMETIMES BLEEDS WATER, which is a step towards developing the play for a future, fully produced theatre event. The play encompasses a broad reach of New Mexican histories, customs, characters, and rituals. Traditional music and specific songs from the Robb collection are a vital element to completing the storytelling of this play’s narrative. Learn more robbtrust.org

Here are a few pictures from the 38th annual Robb Concert, 8 April 2026 featuring Trio Magnoliana dive deeper robbtrust.org/robbconcert.html photos by Nancy Harbert