In November of that same year he sang along soprano Mónica Abrego at the Heroes Theater of Chihuahua, Mexico, with a song program of Lara arranged for orchestra by Alberto Nuñez Palacio and Andrés Martín with the Chihuahua Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Armando Pesqueira. On February 09 of 2009 he performed a concert tribute to Agustín Lara at the Club Kiwanis of Tijuana. The 26th of the same month he was invited by the Consulate of Mexico in San Diego to attend the presentation of the book "Mi novia, la tristeza" a biography of the composer written by Guadalupe Loaeza and Pável Granados at the Mingei Museum in Balboa Park, San Diego, CA. Later, on March 26 he successfully inaugurated the Baja California Orchestra (OBC) concert season with a program dedicated to Agustín Lara where Labastida received the yearly award the Patronato of Agustín Lara, LA grants artists who dedicate a part of their career to promote the works of the composer. Due to the success, he would perform it once more on May 21 in CECUT, being the first time in the history of the OBC a program is presented twice in less than two months. That year he was also invited by the Oberlin Conservatory of Ohio to perform a recital of zarzuelas and Mexican songs. The same year he teamed up with Tijuana's pianist Jorge Villalobos to tour all through the state sponsored by the ICBC. In the summer of 2011 they also traveled through the state with the "María Grever" tour. This was all captured in the recording of the Christmas Album and the one of María Grever songs.
He was the initiator of the "Concierto a la Mujer," that celebrated its fourth edition in 2012.
He is currently working with independent organizations in musical projects. The musicals have been an important part of his career: The Phantom of the Opera with the Anita Opera from Tijuana, The Sleeping Beauty and The Wizard of Oz with the CAMAFEO theater group. He is a member of the "Esplandian Quartet," a guitar ensemble with a classical and popular repertoire. Labastida was also the first Tijuanense to perform a "bel canto" concert in the CECUT's Theater Hall. He was a singing teacher in the cultural workshops of the Autonomous University of Baja California, campus Tijuana from 1995 to 1997 and was the Co-founder of the Northwest School of Music in 1988.
He taught singing and classical guitar in la Casa de La Cultura, Tijuana, from 1982 to 1992. He was Funding Alum of La Casa de la Cultura of Tijuana in 1977 and director of the Coro del Centenario from 1996 to 1998. He was the Executive Director of the Youth Symphonic Orchestra of Tijuana from 2002 to 2006. He has also been a member of the Tijuana Branch of the Seminar of Mexican Culture in 2005 and its president from 2009 to 2011.
He is the singing teacher in the young talent program by the ICBC. He inaugurated the Salón de la Fama concert hall (Aguacaliente Tower) in 2004. The next year, in February 2005, he was inducted to the Tijuana Walk of Fame.
Production Assistant, in charge of programming and presenting classical music in the XLCN1 104.9 FM radio station, Labastida is still a strong advocate of Mexican music on both sides of the border.
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Translation : Karen.Balderas@sandiegored.com
