Two times Maestro Zalce politely refused the PREMIO NACIONAL DE ARTE,
probably Mexico's top honor for artists.
He accepted numerous other awards and honors....others that did not come with such notoriety or with money.
Those are two things he has no desire for!!
He wanted the fame and money to go to someone who had not already received so many honors, who
might be more interested
in the fame and the money, and who was "more deserving" of the honor.
But in 2001 he finally accepted. My guess is that his daughter Beatrice, and their friend Mariela
saw to it that he finally accepted; I am personally very happy that he received
the recognition...and so is every other Zalce fan that I know.
By clicking below and waiting a few minutes to complete the necessary downloading, you will see and hear Maestro Zalce himself as he describes (in Spanish) some of his feelings:
# 1. In January of 2000, I recorded the following 18 seconds (mpg) with Maestro Zalce, in which he very briefly explains one of his humble reasons for not then accepting the award.
# 2. In May 1999 Maestro Zalce explained some of his feelings regarding fame and fortune.
In some cases you will need to download free software to make your computer capable of properly accessing MPEG movies (possibly from "download.com" or from Microsoft, such as "Microsoft Media Player").
Last Updated 5 June, 2002