PUCV Tuna Contest

The tuna are a rather odd folk musical tradition born in medieval Spain and implanted in South America as Estudiantinas after the Figaro estudiantina tour of 1880s. As proper tunas they established themselves singing and serenating with mandolins, bandurrias, laúds, guitars and tambourines recreating this tradition around 1960s and, as a result today, we have dozens of universitarian tunas around the country. In the last couple of decades, they have had plenty of gatherings in different cities of Chile plus two annual tuna festivals during the summer in Iquique and La Serena. These festivals were the only ones where examinations or contests were looked after. Now, we have a new one, exclusive for universitarian tunas representing their schools and excluding estudiantinas. Next friday 17 and saturday 18 at the Viña del Mar's Municipal theather, 19 hrs.

Tuna de Distrito PUCV-Tuna Universitaria de la Universidad de Tarapacá-Tuna de Ingenieros de la Universidad de Atacama-Tuna de Distrito de la Universidad de la Serena-Tuna Mayor de la Universidad de Playa Ancha-Tuna Universitaria de la Universidad de Valparaí­so-Tuna de Magisterio de La Universidad Adventista de Chile-Chillán. More info: http://tunapucv.blogspot.com/

Darwin in Valpo

The Charles Darwin's bicentenary also is being celebrated in our region, place where Darwin lived over a year of his 5 year experience around the world on board of the HMS Beagle... recording our nature as is was around 1834-35. So today the botanist Jorge Redón tell us something about this darwinian heritage after 200 hundred years of his birth.
Indeed, the historical facts around Darwin observations in Valpo are little known but.... they begin to be rescued once again as it was started some years ago Fiddling with Darwin and the Beagle expedition with D. Yudelevich..

Gabriela en Valpo

Gabriela Mistral was born in the Elqui Valley (Coquimbo) exactly 120 years ago . She was the first latin american woman to get the Nobel prize for her poetry.... and many times she was in Valparaiso, when this port was the gateway to get to central Chile... so was her public letter asking that in case of returning to Chile she would like to live in Valpo or its surroundings.... With my Celtamericana's friends we did record the musical soundtrack for a documentary film on her life and later a CD remembering her poetry and her figure as a woman, teacher, etc. and now two years later.... today is her birthday.... something to celebrate..

Piping for others

Piping means sometimes to do a service for others.... so I do it regularly for church service in funerals, masses, and marriages, the firemen, and other benefits when requested.

From time to time with some of my friends from Remembranzas de Galicia pipeband informally (without uniforms and dancing group) we do play at gatherings, benefits, and other fiestas as we are requested to do it.... so it was the case last weekend for a benefit at the Locos x Viña.

Folk session in Valpo

Since early March there is a new weekly open folk session focused on celtic music including irish, scottish, galician, some old time, klezmer, and chilean folk at the bar Pajarito, Salvador Donoso 1433. Every Tuesday from 18 to 21 hrs.
Everybody is welcome... More info & scores at: http://sessionsvalparaiso.blogspot.com/

Desde la noche de San Patricio se ha comenzado una nueva folk session abierta centrada en la llamada música céltica incluyendo irish, scottish, galician, algo de old time, klezmer, & folk chileno en el bar Pajarito, Salvador Donoso 1433. Cada Martes de 18 a 21 hrs.

Luthier's talk

An amazing talk showing new tendencies for the making of classical guitars was done at the school of music of the PUCV by Ricardo Louzao, who came to Valpo to deliver two concert guitars to guitar players from that school.... just listening its wonderful sound and looking this balsa wood and carbon fiber cross bracing as compared to standard fan bracing, it makes a world of difference for these mecano pampa guitars.