'Sadness & Melancholy' is the emotion that will mark this new musical proposal. A trip that includes the premiere of a work tribute to an outstanding figure in our history.

In the company of great national artists, the Student Choir of the Music Department of the University of La Serena and the Cantus Florido Vocal Ensemble, the group belonging to the Network of Professional Regional Orchestras of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage prepares to offer its III Season Concert in the Province of Elqui. A new journey through emotions titled 'Sadness & Melancholy', which urges the most regulars of this type of programming and those who enjoy choral proposals, to be part of this great musical event.

Rodolfo Fischer Rojas reunites with the region to work again with the professional team. The journey towards the states of the soul contemplates one of the most sublime pieces of the classical repertoire, cataloged as one of the 5 most beloved works of the entire universal musical selection, 'Requiem Mass', K626 by the Austrian composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: “ Firstly, in this work I highlight the closeness that the public may feel because in some way it belongs to them. It's like seeing a painting that one has always dreamed of seeing live and that feeling, I think, is very adrenaline for the public and it is wonderful that it is like that," he says.

Fischer will conduct this acclaimed piece alongside outstanding voices from the territory: Camila Gallardo (soprano), Alejandra Rodríguez (contralto), Ignacio Cortés (tenor) and Javier Galleguillos (baritone).

The 'Tristeza & Melancolía' concert will also recognize Víctor Alarcón, who was in life one of the most important choral directors in the country and Fernando Rosas National Music Award winner. The maestro died in a car accident 7 months ago and this month he will be honored by the professional ensemble of the Coquimbo Region and the outstanding Chilean soprano, Andrea Aguilar Silva, widow of the maestro, with an absolute premiere written by the Chilean composer, Carlos Zamora .

The piece 'In Memoriam a Víctor Alarcón' fully captures the essence of this fifth program of the year, which responds to a project “that was born from the emotion that we all felt when 'Vicho' (Víctor Alarcón) left so suddenly ", indicated Fischer, who delves into this absolute premiere in honor of the choral trainer: "he had the particularity of being Magellanic and in the case of this work, we decided with Andrea to approach Carlos Zamora, who was the composer closest to him. They agreed that the text was by Rolando Cárdenas, who at the same time was a poet very close to Vicho, also because he was Magellanic and because he had this very special profile; being an orphan and having grown up with a mother who was not his own, but the most important thing is that all this is born from an emotion. I told Andrea to make a work with which one can remember Vicho, because requiem presentations come and go; On the other hand, a work can remain, that is why we did it after this entire series of tribute concerts,” the baton emphasized.

For her part, Andrea Aguilar Silva, the soprano soloist of this concert, also referred to said premiere: “I am very happy to work again with the Orchestra and that In Memoriam a Víctor Alarcón will be released for choir, chamber orchestra and soprano soloist. This is a world premiere for someone who was my husband and an important choral trainer and director; For the same reason, I am super happy that this work can be released. I feel very lucky to be able to do it,” she declared, indicating that “it is very nice that each program reflects a feeling, a particularity in the concerts because that gives you room for a better interpretation of what one is going to sing; in this case sadness and melancholy. Clearly, when you lose a person so close, of course there is a lot of sadness and melancholy, but the work that Víctor left behind is immense, immeasurable and we must continue making music for him, absolutely," said the performer.

The work is based mainly “on some verses by a poet from Punta Arenas whom Víctor read and admired a lot, Rolando Cárdenas. As this work is contemporary, written by Carlos Zamora, we are going to find a hallelujah, polyphony; This is due to the area where Punta Arenas and Patagonia are located, so it is closely linked to Argentine samba, the chacarera, it was something common that was played with guitar and Víctor also sang a lot of that repertoire,” Aguilera said by telephone.

Presentations in Coquimbo and La Serena

The III Season Concert will have two dates in the Province of Elqui. One of them is part of a new anniversary of the port commune, which celebrates 152 years of life and will be added to the long list of activities that Coquimbo has scheduled for the month of May. The coordinator of the Department of Culture of the Illustrious Municipality of Coquimbo, José Manuel Jiménez Bustamante, indicated that “it is an honor for us as a municipality to be able to have this orchestra. It is an orchestra with a long history, which has very high-level professional musicians and thanks to this new agreement that both entities have signed, we will have the privilege of having 9 concerts during 2019”, adding that the next concert will be held next Thursday May 9, at 20 p.m., at the Palace Cultural Center (Aldunate #599, Barrio Inglés). Your entry is released, respecting the total capacity of the room.

In La Serena, the concert will take place on Friday, May 10, at 20 p.m., in the Aula Magna of the Ignacio Domeyko Campus (Benavente 980). The presentation has no membership fee and is without withdrawal of invitations, until the capacity of the university campus is reached.

This new season is financed by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, which since 2016 has been attached to the Glosa de Presupuesto Nacional; in addition to the important institutional support given by the University of La Serena, through the Directorate of Links with the Environment and Extension (DIVEULS); the Municipality of La Serena, through its Department of Culture; and the Municipality of Coquimbo with the support of the Palace Cultural Center.

Written by Camila Pérez, University of La Serena Symphony Orchestra

More than 500 people attended this first activity of the “Construction of Inclusive Universities for Human Development” cycle.

Diversity, inclusion, equity, visibility are terms that will be recurring in each meeting to be held in the University of La Serena, as part of the conference cycle of the Raúl Bitrán Nachary Chair.

The first panel of the cycle had as guest speakers Dr. Sonia Montecinos, academic from the U. of Chile, and Mg. Natalia Guerrero, an academic at the ULS, who spoke and raised a necessary discussion in society, based on what they mentioned as the “joint construction of a more just and happy society.”

The conversation was carried out around 3 themes: displacement of women to gender, from different disciplines; links between these concepts and social movements and feminism; and how we operationalize these concepts for work, seeing the possible strategies and implications in social life.

This year's conference cycle addresses the "Construction of Inclusive Universities for Human Development", and is organized by DIVEULS in conjunction with the 1799 Project on Inclusion and Disability, considering this process as a fundamental human right, as pointed out by the International organizations.

The Director of Liaison with the Environment and Extension, Dr. Catalina Cvitanic, commented that “the ULS has been implementing initiatives for years that aim to build an inclusive university, which is why this year we have scheduled this cycle of conferences, which also "To show the community our purpose, it is incorporating students in this topic that is so important for the development of current society."

For her part, the institution's academic and co-organizer of this activity, Dr. Georgina García, highlighted that "this is a party to reflect and advance in the construction of a more just country."

The conversation took place in a pleasant environment, with the attendance of more than 500 people, who filled the Aula Magna ULS.

Raúl Bitrán Nachary Chair

This cycle honors the memory of the distinguished professional and academic Raúl Bitrán Nachary (RIP), conferring his name on the aforementioned chair, as a tribute to his memory and gratitude for the contributions he made in his life to the foundation and development of this house of higher education.

Written by Jenifer Araya, DIVEULS

The evenings featured a varied and colossal selection of works of European origin and an absolute premiere written for the wind and percussion ensemble of the professional ensemble.

With two presentations in the Province of Elqui, the University of La Serena Symphony Orchestra captivated its faithful audience with a great concert of European tradition and an absolute premiere of national origin written by the great composer José Manuel Piña. The fascinating journey through the emotions of 'Ilusión & Surprise' was led by two outstanding Chilean musicians: the Graduate in Higher Piano Performance from the University of Chile and director Sebastián Camaño Saavedra, and the first bassoon of the Alevi Peña Jiménez symphonic ensemble.

The program included a magnificent selection of works that were explained and contextualized by the Chilean conductor herself, generating a pleasant closeness between the attendees and the different symphonies that were presented. Among them is the Overture 'La bella Melusina', Op. 32 by the German Félix Medelssohns, a piece that evokes the emotions present in this Second Season Concert, and that refers to the legend of the Melusina: a sea nymph that She marries Count Raymond, under the sole condition that she not be visited on Saturdays, days on which she transforms into a mermaid.

Then it was the turn of the outstanding Serenense concert pianist, who delighted with his interpretation and mastery when offering the 'Bassoon Concerto', Op. 75 by the composer Carl María Von Weber. A bold pre-romantic piece that represents one of the best-known solo works for the instrument.

For those who attended the two nights of concerts, this work was completely captivating: “the bassoon is clearly a very difficult instrument and he did wonders with it. I understood that he brought out his maximum expression in the entire scale of sounds that the bassoon has, from the highest and sharpest notes to the bass that made us vibrate. Truly extraordinary,” commented Enrique Valenzuela, who was present at the territorial extension concert held at the Palace Cultural Center.

The musical journey continued with another perfect selection. It was the piece 'A labyrinth of hills', a soundscape written by the Chilean composer José Manuel Piña for the wind and percussion group of the professional ensemble of the Estrella Region. The author commented that the work was inspired “in a text by Gabriela Mistral, where she recognizes herself as coming from a labyrinth of hills due to the transversal valleys where she grew up.”

The guest conductor, Sebastián Camaño, also referred to the debut of the work 'A Labyrinth of Hills' and the outstanding work carried out by the symphonic ensemble: “It is an absolute premiere, a work that the orchestra commissioned for its wind ensemble. and percussion. It is very important that a Chilean orchestra like the La Serena regional one is doing this; “That gives a greater plus to the group because it is actively participating and commissioning the premiere of Chilean works,” he expressed.

Finally, the concerts held at the Palace Cultural Center in Coquimbo and the Mecesup hall of the ULS Music Department in La Serena put the finishing touch with another colossal European work, Symphony No. 94 in G Major by Joseph Haydn, called 'The Surprise' because of his second move.

This new season is financed by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, which since 2016 has been attached to the Glosa de Presupuesto Nacional; in addition to the important institutional support given by the University of La Serena, through the Directorate of Links with the Environment and Extension (DIVEULS); the Municipality of La Serena, through its Department of Culture; and the Municipality of Coquimbo with the support of the Palace Cultural Center.

SEE PHOTO GALLERY

Written by Camila Pérez, University of La Serena Symphony Orchestra

Professionals from different areas will present conversation panels around the topics of diversity and inclusion in educational matters.

A new cycle of conferences of the Raúl Bitrán Nachry Chair will start in the University of La Serena, which this year will address the “Construction of Inclusive Universities for Human Development”.

The cycle of presentations, with free entry, will focus on educational and social inclusion of excluded groups, and will begin with the conference: “From Women to Gender: Implications for inclusion”, next Wednesday, April 17 at 11:30 a.m. in the Aula Magna Ignacio Domeyko (Benavente 980, La Serena).

The activity will have as speakers the academic from the University of Chile, Dr. Sonia Montecino, and the academic U. de La Serena, Mg. Natalia Guerrero, where both will analyze the evolution of the process of social and cultural construction of the gender category, as a focus of analysis, with the purpose of understanding gender relations and their implications for human development.

Furthermore, the activity will analyze the complexity of a fact such as the sexual difference between the feminine and the masculine, on which gender is built, which leads to the question: what is the true difference between sexual bodies and human beings? socially constructed?

The cycle focused on this topic is organized by the Directorate of Liaison with the Environment and Extension, together with the Office of Inclusion and Disability (Project 1799), considering this process as a fundamental human right, as indicated by international organizations.

In this regard, academic Georgina García highlighted that the topic was addressed in this cycle of conferences, which generates a space for discussion and reflection around current and interesting topics. “It is an excellent opportunity to connect with the regional and national environment, it is very well positioned thanks to its long history in topics in which the University generates knowledge and in its areas of professional training, and to share this space with the Office of Inclusion and Disability allows us to reach another audience to raise awareness in the regional community about the right that all people have to educational and social inclusion,” he said.

Written by Jenifer Araya, DIVEULS

This research by former ULS student, José Aguilera, was financed by the Regional Government and published with the support and collaboration of the University's Publishing House.

José Aguilera Martínez is the name of the researcher who materialized this first printed version of the history of a cove, which could be similar to many others in our country. “Caleta Los Hornos: images, memory and history” is a version with full color photographs that will be available on all distribution platforms of the Editorial of the University of La Serena.

In the presentation of the book, the author referred to the origin of this compilation, which is also reflected in the introduction of his text, where he talks: “the motivations behind the task of researching and writing about the history of Caleta Los Hornos goes back to my childhood. Since our arrival to the town in 1991, my interest was awakened in knowing the historical past of 'La Caleta', as its inhabitants called it (...) The dream of materializing a book at some point was nourished by that accumulation of experiences and situations, later channeled with the formation and maturation of that love for history and this land.”

This publication corresponds to a project funded by the Private Traditional Culture Fund year 2018 of the Coquimbo Regional Government. In this regard, its author highlighted that “being able to be awarded the CORE fund is undoubtedly a milestone, both for the town and also for the commune of La Higuera, since for the first time there is a book that delves into the history of a town. with historical research that provides some foundations to understand the social, economic and political processes of these places a little better, and can also serve as a reference for future research that wants to address the topic.”

For more information on this and other texts or the University of La Serena Bookstore, contact 512204368 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Written by Jenifer Araya, DIVEULS

The concert will be led by the conductor Sebastián Camaño Saavedra, and the first bassoon of the symphonic ensemble, Alevi Peña Jiménez, both members of the project 'Bach Santiago', by the well-remembered maestro Víctor Alarcón.

'Illusion & Surprise' is the new artistic-musical proposal with which the University of La Serena Symphony Orchestra seeks to delight the public in the Province of Elqui this April. An unforgettable journey through emotions that will have two concert dates and that will once again be marked by the rudeness of two great Chilean artists.

On this occasion, the II Concert of the 2019 Season will be conducted by a young Sebastián Camaño (Chile), with a degree in Higher Piano Performance from the University of Chile, who will conduct the regional ensemble for the first time: “I feel really anxious. Super happy and proud also because the orchestra is known for being very warm in its reception, in the way it works and because it has great musicians in its ranks, I have worked with them several times; So for me it is a great honor to work there,” said the national leader.

Another surprise that this concert will have, as the program is titled, is the participation of a great regional soloist. This is the first bassoon of the symphonic ensemble, Alevi Peña, who will meet Camaño again after participating together in the 'Bach Santiago' cycle in 2018, a project founded by the great maestro Víctor Alarcón (RIP) and which consists of interpreting the 209 cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach in Chile. For the soloist it is also synonymous with "pride and privilege to be able to present my work within the framework of the orchestra's seasonal concerts together with the direction of Sebastian Camaño, in my opinion it has an excellent level and it is a pleasure to have him", stated the musician.

During rehearsals, a close and dynamic relationship is forged between the protagonists, which ends with an overwhelming presentation. Given this, Alevi maintained that the “relationship between a director and a soloist is always very interesting because the soloist has a vision of the concert that he wants to do and the director also has his. So it is important to achieve harmony between the visions; That is why one meets before, the conductor always wants to hear what the soloist proposes and he, for his part, seeks to be able to adjust what is proposed. On this occasion, I hope that this relationship will be very fruitful,” he indicated.

The second journey through emotions has an attractive selection of works of European and national origin, which includes a world premiere. The presentation will start with the Overture 'La Bella Melusina', Op. 32 by the great German composer, Félix Mendelssonhn, a piece that evokes the emotions of 'Illusion & Surprise', as it refers to the legend of Melusina, a sea nymph that she marries Count Raymond, under the sole condition that she not be visited on Saturdays, the days on which she transforms into a mermaid.

The 'Concerto for Bassoon in F Major', Op. 75; written by Carl María Van Weber, will also be part of the musical event. The program continues with an absolute premiere of the Chilean composer, José Manuel Piña, and his piece 'Un laberinto de cerros', written for the ensemble's wind and percussion ensemble. Finally, Symphony No. 94 in G Major by Joseph Haydn, called 'The Surprise', will be in charge of closing the concert.

Double concert in the Province of Elqui

The concerts will take place in the communes of Coquimbo and La Serena. The first one will take place on Thursday, April 11 at the Palace Cultural Center, while the second concert will take place on Friday, April 12 in the regional capital in the MECESUP room of the Music Department of the U. de La Serena . Both presentations will begin at 20:00 p.m., with no free entry cost and no withdrawal of invitations, respecting the full capacity of the venues.

This new season is financed by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, which since 2016 has been attached to the Glosa de Presupuesto Nacional; in addition to the important institutional support given by the University of La Serena, through the Directorate of Links with the Environment and Extension (DIVEULS); the Municipality of La Serena, through its Department of Culture; and the Municipality of Coquimbo with the support of the Palace Cultural Center.

Written by Camila Pérez, University of La Serena Symphony Orchestra