Choirs at Buen Pastor chapel (Placeres)

 After being saved from demolition for a new building development and after being closed for almost 6 years, this last weekend this old tridentine catholic Buen Pastor chapel from Placeres in Valparaíso opened its doors for choir concerts, starting with the UTFSM university choir.

This church is unique in Valpo because of its tridentine plan as part of a former nunnery and parish school located where we see today tall apartment towers as well as its amazing acoustic, that it is a blessing when you listen a pro choir such as the USM  choir.

Instrument showcase at Esmeralda Street

Ethnic musical instruments such as mandolins, lutes, bandolas and the likes have been very popular through the ages in our port so this year we have recreated a showcase with some historic samples of some of these instruments as they were shown a hundred years ago, including some of the same instruments that were sold and played at this same spot a century ago.

Here you could see both images, located at the old Hotel Colón building.  The recent one at the top, with our showcase (now Fotocafé Esmeralda 1111) as compared  with the bottom one taken at this same spot (at that time Esmeralda 85) dated around 1905.

Yes, indeed, a hundred years ago, on this same spot there was a music shop called Kirsinger, which had a showcase pretty alike to the one we recreated for the IX Festival inmigrante de Valparaiso just 3 weeks ago, without the piano and acordeons to have it as it was around the turn of the century.

Ana Hicks, tuna founder

During the III PUCV international Tuna Festival where I was part of the jury team I visited to the founder of the first university tunas in Valparaiso, Ana Hicks, a 93 years old granny and former music teacher who lives next door of the UTFSM University, the place where the festival was held. She is a person who during over 50 years has been the founder director of university tunas and estudiantinas in the region. To pay homage to her, some of the tunas being part of the festival headed by the Arica's Tarapacá Univerity tuna went to her house to serenate her. That was a blast for her.... At her room I played some fado msuic for her... Really to share time with her is a blessing.... so any homage is small as compared with the work she has done for so many years.

 

Durante el  III PUCV  Festival international  de Tunas donde era parte del jurado junto a Ramón Andreu visitamos a la fundadora de la primera tuna universitaria en Valparaiso, Ana Hicks, una abuela de 93 años, ex profesora de música que vive al lado de la UTFSM, el lugar donde el festival se realizaba. Ella es una person quien por más de 50 years ha sido la directora de tunas universitarias y  estudiantinas en la región. Para homenajearla, algunas de las tunas del  festival encabezadas por la tuna de la Universidad de Tarapacá (Arica) fueron a su casa a hacerle una serenata. Eso fue emocionante para ella.... En su pieza, yo le toqué algunos pedazos de fado... Realmente compartir  tiempo con ella es una bendición.... de modo que cualquier homenaje es pequeño comparado con el trabajo que ella ha hecho  por tantos años por la música.

PUCV Tuna Fest 2012

Even though there are other older well known tuna festivals in Chile such as the latin american tuna festivals at Iquique and La Serena. The folks at the PUCV tuna every year organise the only international university tuna festival in Chile, rescueing this kind of spanish folk serenating tradition born hundred of years ago in spanish colleges.

Contesting tuna folk bands: Tuna del Distrito Universitario de Michoacán Morelia (México); de la Universidad de La Serena; de Ingenieros de la Universidad de Atacama (Copiapó); de la Universidad Autónoma de Temuco; de la Facultad de Artes de la Universidad de Playa Ancha; de Distrito de la Universidad Católica del Norte (Antofagasta) & the  agrupación de la Universidad de Tarapacá (Arica).  Place: Aula Magna USM, Nov. 1-2 19:30 hrs.