Festival of Renaissance and Baroque American Music – “Misiones de Chiquitos” – Festival Internacional de Música Renacentista y Barroca Americana

El Deber:

The XIV International Festival of Renaissance and Baroque American Music “Misiones de Chiquitos” already has a date

Fotos: Fuad Landívar
Photos: Fuad Landívar
Festival de Música Barroca
Baroque Music Festival

For this edition, 129 concerts have been programmed, along with at least three novelties

The XIV International Festival of Renaissance and Baroque American Music “Misiones de Chiquitos” already has a date; it will take place from April 19th to 28th in the capital of Santa Cruz, as well as in various locations throughout the department, announced the Pro Arte y Cultura Association (APAC).

With the participation of musical groups from 18 countries, this new version of the festival will reach the public with 129 free concerts. Three presentations per day were announced, in different venues.

“The public showed us that it was possible to have a completely free and sustainable Festival; and that is the result of education, responsibility, and having embraced the event, as it should be,” explained Percy Áñez Castedo, president of APAC, regarding the decision not to sell tickets, at a press conference.

The festival is held through the alliance maintained with the municipal and departmental governments, as well as with the Archdiocese of Santa Cruz; with the support of various municipalities in the department and the sponsorship of private companies and institutions committed to art and culture.

XIV Festival Internacional de Música Renacentista y Barroca Americana
XIV International Festival of Renaissance and Baroque American Music

3 novelties in the fourteenth edition of the Festival of Renaissance and Baroque American Music

The novelties were announced by the artistic director of the festival, Father Piotr Nawrot:

1.- They begin with the opening concert, in which a polyphonic mass from the Chiquitos Musical Archive will be performed, composed by the Italian musician Francesco Feo and reconstructed by Nawrot himself, given that the Chiquitos archive only retained between 30 and 35% of the piece.

It will be interpreted by the Arakaendar Choir and Orchestra from Bolivia, musicians from the Royal College of Music in the United Kingdom, and some instrumentalists from Chile.

Nawrot explained that it is a very advanced work, brought by the Jesuits to be performed by the indigenous people. “This demonstrates that mission baroque music developed in this part of America more than is known, and even more than in most European cathedrals,” assured the musicologist.

2.- In San Javier, where it was created, a new edition of the opera “San Francisco Xavier” will be presented – composed probably by Father Martin Schmid and Domenico Zipoli, but surely also by the indigenous themselves, according to APAC -.

Nawrot stated that it is the only one in the Chiquitano language that has been saved. “It will be festive, so it will include native musical instruments, the dance of the Yarituses, and a procession from the square to the temple, all illuminated with torches, just as it was done in the 18th century,” he announced.

3.- The Musicology Encounter will feature the presence of university students from the United States, United Kingdom, Poland, and Switzerland, all studying ancient music. It will take place at the Private University of Santa Cruz de la Sierra (UPSA).

“Chiquitos is currently the most attractive point for major music teaching centers in the world. This does not happen in New York or Basel,” Nawrot expressed regarding this.

Regarding the closing concert, APAC announced a recital of post-baroque music, featuring around 150 instrumentalists, choristers, and soloists, who will perform the work of Austrian composer Joseph Haydn, and some pieces from the Sucre Archive. The participation of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Santa Cruz, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, stands out.

Where will the Festival take place? Venues of the Renaissance and Baroque Music Festival

In the capital of Santa Cruz, there will be recitals in the following temples: Los Huérfanos and San Roque, at the Center for Plurinational Culture (CCP), at the Oscar Romero church in El Mechero (Plan 3000), and at the Metropolitan Cathedral.

In the provinces, concerts have been scheduled in: Porongo, Santa Rosa del Sara, Cotoca, Pailón, San Julián, San Javier, Ascensión de Guarayos, Concepción, San Ignacio, Santa Ana, San Miguel, San Rafael, San José, Roboré, and Santiago.

APAC announced that the concert programming schedule will be available on their social media channels starting next week.

Additionally, the institution announced that in Chochís, five meetings will be held with foreign tourists to introduce them to the contemporary art of the area.

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