The “V Festival: Presentation of Current Latin American Music,” to take place in Valaparaiso next week, will feature a performance by the 10-person Flute Orchestra. The performance will include world premieres of three Chilean composers — Paul Hernandez, Cristian Lopez and Rene Silva. The free performance is planned for July 31.

The flute orchestra’s debut is a sign that Chile's musical heritage is reviving. The flute was an important instrument associated with native Andean Music and Mapuche musical culture.

Orchestra member Alejandro Lavanderos has been instrumental in reviving the country’s musical traditions. The flute project aims to fuse both the academic and non-traditional music worlds in Chile, he says.

Looking beyond just the contemporary flute, the performance will also showcase more regional flute-like instruments, such as panpipes or the pinkillo. The pinkillo is a traditional Andean instrument found in countries like Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela and Bolivia

The festival, hosted by the Universidad de Valparaiso, takes place from July 28 to July 31. The festival includes musical and dance performances, conferences, round table discussions and workshops. The event's roots are in the “Traditional Instruments, Current and Contemporary Music International Seminar” that was first held eight years ago in Cochabamba, Bolivia, to rediscover South America's musical heritage. This led to a network of projects and organizations and many festivals like the one in Valparaiso.

SOURCE: EL MERCURIO
By Kayla Ruble ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )