Hispanic folk musician found her passion in music

Eva Nuanez, a naturalborn musician and passionate singer, spread her love for music and won over the hearts of many Hispanic folk music enthusiasts around Colorado throughout her lifetime.

Nuanez died Feb. 18. She was 97.

At the young age of 13, Nuanez began to play the violin. She initially wanted to play the piano, but her widowed mother couldn’t afford one, so when she learned that her daughter could get a free violin after a year of lessons, she agreed to let her play.

It wasn’t long after starting to play the violin that her natural talent caught the attention of many, as she could play by ear and duplicate the sounds on her violin without reading music.

Nuanez was born in Berwind, an old coal mining town, on Feb. 11, 1921. She later moved to Denver when her family sought medical attention for her sister’s leg injury. In Denver, she began pursuing the violin. She played in school orchestras and was concertmaster at Horace Mann Junior High School. She later graduated from North High School in 1941.

That same year, Nuanez married Henry Nuanez. The couple had five children, Henry, Jerry, Renee, Antonio and Dale. In addition to her children, she is survived by 17 grandchildren and 34 great-grandchildren.

In a 2015 documentary called “Eva Nuanez, Memories of My Musical Life,” she claims that her husband didn’t want her to play the violin so she quit, but returned to it years after her daughter Renee was born.

It was her father-in-law, Luz Nuanez, who encouraged her to play with another musician, Juan Aranda, at a bar called Duke’s Place in Trinidad. She initially rejected the invitation because she didn’t want to play at a bar, but her husband persuaded her to go. From that day on, Nuanez never stopped playing.

“I was hooked on the music, I loved the music,” Nuanez said in the documentary.

Nuanez also started her own musical group called “El Magico Eco de Cuerdas” (The Magic Echoing of Strings) where she played at many different places, including Larimer Grill, El Gato Negro and the Crystal Grill. She later co-founded another group called “Southwest Musicians,” with her brother, Filbert Trujillo, and her nephew, Lorenzo Trujillo.

Her granddaughter, Felicia Marie Nuanez, describes her grandmother’s love for music as passionate and heartfelt. For her grandmother’s birthday last year, they hired a mariachi, and even though her grandmother couldn’t play violin anymore, she sang throughout the whole party.

“She didn’t want anyone else singing,” Felicia Marie Nuanez said. “She still got up there and sang her heart out. She had an infectious smile.”

Nuanez’ musical career earned her many awards, including recognition as a Colorado Folk Artist by the Colorado Council on the Arts and Humanities in 1987, a Lifetime Achievement Award for Contributions to traditional Hispanic Music in 1995 and a Certificate of Recognition for Culture and Tradition in 1996.

A memorial service will be held at All Saints Church at 2599 South Federal Boulevard, Denver on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. and a funeral mass on Monday at 10 a.m. Nuanez will be buried next to her husband on his birthday.

“We are bringing his bride to him,” Felicia Marie Nuanez said. “We’re bringing him the best present.”