Remembering the Late Composer and South Pas Resident Daniel Catán

Composer and South Pasadena resident Daniel Catán, 62, who died unexpectedly April 8 in Austin, TX, was honored twice this month—once at the LA Opera and also at Occidental College. 

"What better way to remember and honor Daniel Catán than attend a concert of his glorious music," Michael Hudson-Medina wrote on the LA Opera's Facebook wall. "Last year Daniel himself helped program the May 22nd Santa Cecilia Orchestra Concert. A rare opportunity to hear his Orchestral Works :)." 

At the time of his death, Catán was living in Austin for a semester while teaching at the Butler School of Music. His latest piece of work was the critically acclaimed Il Postino, which premiered at the LA Opera in September 2010. It will open in Paris next month.

Music Director Sonia Marie de Leon de Vega honored composer Daniel Catán Sunday at Occidental College's Thorne Hall in Santa Cecilia Orchestra's final concert of the 2010-2011 season. Catán attended the orchestra's concerts regularly where his wife is the orchestra's harpist, yet she didn't perform Sunday, reported Pasadena Star-News. 

Born in Mexico to Sephardic Jewish parents, Catán left for England at the age of 13 to study music. Following his schooling, he served as an administrator at Mexico City's Palace of Fine Arts and eventually moved to South Pasadena. He and his wife have two local residences in South Pas—one for family living and the other he kept as a studio to practice his music on a baby grand piano.

The opening piece at the concert Sunday was a three-minute overture that Catán wrote for the Mexican telenovela, "El Vuelo del guila" ("The Flight of the Eagles") in the 1990s, according to the Pasadena Star-News. 

In addition to his wife, Catán is survived by his three children—Chloe, Tom and Alan—as well as four grandchildren. 

More on Patch: Composer and South Pas Resident Unexpectedly Dies, Placido Domingo Stars in South Pasadena Composer's Latest Opera, Il Postino