Music of the Andes: Chilean Songwriters Celebrate Poet Pablo Neruda

Oct. 6, 2004

The stage is set this Friday for an evening of Latin American Andean music, featuring a tribute to the Nobel Prize winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda at Milliken Auditorium in Traverse City.
The concert will consist of music presented by the Chilean group Huara; along with Ismael “Bandolero” Durán and Lichi Fuentes.
The concert will be held on Friday, October 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Milliken Auditorium at Northwestern Michigan College.
• Huara is a folk instrumental group that fuses traditional native Andean Music with jazz and rock styles. They will offer music from their latest recording “El Fulgor – Circle of the Planet.”
• Ismael “Bandolero” Durán is a Chilean songwriter and guitarist born in 1949 in Punta Arenas. He has been composing and performing since 1970, singing the “Nueva Canción” (new song) of Latin America throughout Europe and the Americas, offering a mixture of folkloric music with an eloquent and emotional voice.
• Lichi Fuentes, who was born and raised in San Fernando, Chile, performs with a soft yet passionate voice. She is one of the great singer-composers of Latin America. Now living in Berkley, California, she will perform music from her latest recording “Who I Am.”
Each will perform individually and then come together to offer a musical celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda with music inspired by his poetry. This Chilean poet, and diplomat, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971.
Neruda is the most widely read of the Spanish American poets. From the 1940s on, his works reflected the political struggle of the left and the socio-historical developments in South America. He also wrote love poems. Neruda’s “Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair”(1924) have sold over a million copies since it first appeared. He was the subject of the hit film, “Il Postino.”
A free workshop on traditional Andean music will be offered for schools and the public on Friday, October 8 at 2 p.m. in Milliken Auditorium. The workshop will explore the rhythms and colors of the traditional music of the South American continent. Participants will be introduced to the sounds of the different instruments and songs, taking them on a journey through the evolution of Andean music. The workshop will provide legends and histories about the musical instruments themselves and offer an overview of the various cultural influences in the music as reflected in Andean folklore. Reservations for the workshop can be made by calling Robert Weiler, Performing Arts Manager at 231-995-1573.
See www.duranproductions.com/musiciansneruda.html for more information on the performing groups.

Tickets for Friday’s show are $10 for adults, $5 for children (12 and under) and free to NMC students. Tickets can be obtained by calling the Milliken Box Office at 231-995-1553.