Under the direction of maestro Sebastiano De Filippi, the group prepares a special repertoire that includes the participation of outstanding national lyrical singers.

The OSULS will celebrate this Saturday, April 19, its traditional Holy Week concert, a long-awaited event that each year surprises the public in the area and the tourists who visit the Coquimbo Region each year on these dates. 

On this occasion, the members of the professional cast will share the stage with the performers Andrea Aguilar (soprano) and Vanessa Rojas (contralto), who will have a special participation.

As detailed by maestro De Filippi, who debuted at La Serena with great success thanks to the concert ''Bella Italia'', it is a totally different program from the previous one, which will include the Symphony No. 49 in F minor ''Pasione'' by Maestro Franz Joseph Haydn, ''Exsultate, jubilate'' by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and finally ''Stabat mater'' for soprano, alto and orchestra by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, works of great character and intensity, which also require an organ.

''One of my specialties is doing vocal repertoire, it's usually a lot of fun. We are working very hard so that the result captivates the public,” said the director, who added that among the qualities of the OSULS is the versatility to adapt to the works. “It is a fairly young orchestra, with a very fast reaction to what one can ask or suggest and that is very good, because they have the enthusiasm and energy, the willpower and the interest to work well at a sustained pace like the of these weeks,'' said De Filippi.

The concert will take place at 20:00 p.m. at the Municipal Theater of La Serena. Tickets for this concert can be purchased on the day of the event at the venue's box office and the prices are $3.000 for the general public and $2.000 for students and seniors.

The activity also included three guest musicians.

More than 60 people, distributed in two rooms, enjoyed the oboe concert ''Susurros de Latinoamérica'', performed by José Luis Urquieta Plaza, oboist of the Symphony Orchestra of the University of La Serena. 

As usual, the intimacy of the rooms of the ULS Extension Center generated a respectful space and great admiration for the presentation of the artist, who also invited other musicians from the institution's Music Department to also show their art. to the community. 

This activity was very well received by attendees, who appreciated the organization of this type of activities. “I want to congratulate him and the entire organization of the University of La Serena that allows citizens who are fans of classical music, as well as certain instruments that are part of the repertoire, to come for free. This is valued because deep down it allows, within the daily routine, to end a day with this type of music, it is a cultural haven linked to music and very good music," commented Robinson Hernández, in charge of Culture of the Municipality of La Serene.

On the other hand, the oboist thanked the invitation and shared his perception of the concert. ''I am very happy (...) and excited for the public. I had a nice reception and was also very enthusiastic about this activity that the Extension Center does. I think it is very valuable to have the possibility of having a chamber music season, for which I have nothing left but to thank the Extension Directorate for this instance,'' commented José Luis Urquieta.

>While the person in charge of Culture of the Extension Directorate, Natalia Ahumada, was very satisfied with the results of the activity. "The program chosen by the musician included compositions by different Latin American references, where he also surprised the attendees with the incorporation of other musicians from the University's Music Department in one of the final pieces 'Marcías para Oboe y Copas de Cristal'. The public was grateful and friendly, as well as interested in participating in future activities of this court," he stated.

The sounds of ''Bella Italia'' delighted the spectators who filled the Municipal Theater of the regional capital.

The concert offered by the Symphony Orchestra of the University of La Serena to the community concluded with uninterrupted applause, in which the figures of the performers Milén Godoy, second flute of the professional cast, and Hernán Jara, winner of the Altazor Prize in the mention, concluded. Musical Performance.

The OSULS presentation had Italian music as its main theme with the performance of Cinderella Overture by Gioachino Rossini and the Concerto for 2 Flutes in G Major by Domenico Cimarosa, a piece that allowed spectators to appreciate the talent of the flute soloists. 

Hernán Jara is currently a member of the Fusion group Ensamble Serenata, with which he has developed intense activity spreading Chilean and Latin American music in various settings. In addition, the musician was Milén Godoy's teacher, so the harmony between the two moved the audience present.

The OSULS presentation concluded with the ''Italian'' Symphony by Félix Mendelssohn, which was masterfully performed by the regional cast.

''It was a very good experience, with the musicians we understood each other very well from the beginning and we worked very hard,'' said guest conductor Sebastiano De Filippi, who highlighted the versatility and talent of all the musicians that make up the group.

The concert also allowed us to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Diario El Día, a Media Partner of the cast since its inception. That is why at the end of the musical meeting, the director of Diario El Día, Francisco Puga, presented recognition to the soloists, while the president of Fundación Educacional Musical Cultural La Serena, Andrés Rosson, recognized the work of Maestro De Filippi.

The OSULS continues with an intense 2014 season, which includes the Holy Week Concert and the beginning of the Educational Concerts, aimed at students from the entire Coquimbo region.

Perspectives from philosophy, neuroscience and psychology, spirituality and everyday life, and the hard sciences will be presented at the event.

Critical approaches to the notion of truth, from different perspectives, will be the protagonists of the Truth colloquium, prepared by academics from the University of La Serena Dr. Mauricio González y Mg. Mauricio Cerda (Department of Psychology), Dr. Marco Corgini (Dept. of Mathematics) and Dr. Francisco Roco (Dept. of Education), and the person in charge of the ULS Publishing House, Alejandro Abufom.

The idea is to present and analyze different critical perspectives of this concept, in a colloquium that the entire community can attend and which will take place on Wednesday, May 7, from 14:45 p.m. to 18:30 p.m., in the Patio de Culture and Arts Gabriela Mistral from the ULS Extension Center, located at Prat 446, La Serena.

In this way, some of the views will refer to the truth from philosophy, neuroscience and psychology, spirituality and everyday life, and the hard sciences, seeking to reach all audiences, generate discussion and know how it affects the existence of a or more truths to people, among other aspects.

Regarding how the initiative arose, the academic and director of the Department of Psychology, Dr. Mauricio González, explains that there were several motivations. ''The first is intellectual. From philosophy, the biology of knowledge, psychology and neuroscience there has been a strong questioning of the possibility of achieving true knowledge, however, it seems that this has not affected the generation of new knowledge or the good health of science. and philosophy. On the other hand, many of the initiatory and spiritual traditions refer to the search for truth, but apparently this truth is different from what can be understood in general terms,' he explained.

''In terms of academic activity, when we train students and when we investigate, the idea of ​​truth is implicit and is not analyzed enough, so I am curious to know what other people think about it. By reading the books by Dr. Marco Corgini and Dr. Francisco Roco, I became convinced of the need to discuss the topic in a way to make it explicit. And do it from the different experiences and motivations of those who will present. From scientific, philosophical and spiritual perspectives. However, the invitation to exhibitors is not to address the topic from a particular thematic field, but rather from their personal perspective,'' Dr. González specified.

For his part, Dr. Marco Corgini explained that ''my interest is to invite the public to reflect on questions that are as valid today as in the time of Democritus and Epicurus in the setting of a (Western) science that emerged in the heat of profound social changes that emerged at the end of the Middle Ages, transit companion of the Enlightenment of the XNUMXth century, undeniably depositary yesterday and today of ideas and traditions arising from different expressions of the so-called philosophical realism.

''Today Cyril and Hypatia do not exist, much less the library of Alexandria, a symbol of the culture of their time, destroyed by fanatical hordes, but just like then, perhaps with less drama, science becomes distant and cryptic for the citizen common, mainly as a result of the installation of an alienating way of conceiving the world of human transactions. Hopefully this and other initiatives that we can develop in the future will allow us to shorten that gap. The most important thing here is that, from different perspectives, diverse opinions are thrown on the table regarding an ever-current topic like this, thus opening a common space, in the university, to enable a dialogue in which the entire community participates.'' stated the academic and director of the Department of Mathematics.

''When it comes to surviving, we all wear ties'' is the title of the presentation by the head of the ULS Editorial, Alejandro Abufom, a work focused on the idea that ''we all lie. We are living in a time in which lies, as an everyday counterpart to the truth, are common, accepted and even validated (read 'white lies'). Truth is a noble ideal in our Humanity, but it has become, over the centuries, a weapon of absolutist pretension (in the form of dogma or law) of some, to achieve domination over others. Both science and religion have taken this idea and used it as a strategy of social control, to achieve their objectives,' he said.

Similarly, he maintained that truth ''has also been 'loaded' (deliberately) with the attribute of universality, an omnipotent claim that makes us believe that it is valid for all possible realities. Lies, from the previous perspective, can be seen as a 'survival strategy' in the face of this omnipotence of the dominating truth. Particularly in poor countries, like ours and those of the so-called third world."

Meanwhile, Mg. Mauricio Cerda maintains that ''the attractive thing about the Colloquium is that it opens a space in our University for reflection on one of the perennial questions about which Humanity has asked itself - and has not stopped asking itself - since the most remote times: What is truth and what is its role in human existence?''

The psychologist of the transpersonal line, ''which is characterized by studying the relationships between psychic phenomena and those of a spiritual order, I am preparing a presentation that will present the common elements that underlie the notion of truth in four great spiritual traditions: Christianity, Hinduism. Buddhism and Sufism. In these traditions, truth is not a concept, but a mystical state, which defines a substantial and irreducible difference with philosophical or scientific conceptions of truth.

For his part, Dr. Francisco Roco explains the activity as a ''reflection on the topic of truth, above all, since in the last decades of the XNUMXth century and so far in the XNUMXst century there are strong questions about what was once an eternal and immutable truth. Today the suspicion is installed that such truth does not exist, but that what there is ultimately are interpretations.''

The initiative aims to provide resources to achieve more effective and secure communication.

As a way to help people who want to overcome their fear of speaking in front of groups of people, the Extension Directorate of the University of La Serena offers the workshop ''Public Speaking'', promoted by the renowned actress Marcela Arroyave and which will take place on Saturday, April 26 and Monday, April 28 at the Extension Center on Prat Street Nº446, La Serena.

The objective of the workshop is to improve effectiveness in presentations of any type, achieve better management in the communication act, understand the delivery of content as a possible meeting moment, learn tools for sales and leadership, express oneself with more security, credibility or warmth, improve aspects of labor relations, impose authority, among others.

Marcela Arroyave is a professional theater and television actress and job coach with more than 15 years of experience in the area. In addition, she is a trainer and communication advisor for hosts such as Tonka Tomicic (Matinal Canal 13), Paola Berlin (CNN Chile), Gonzalo Ramírez (TVN 24 Horas), Gustavo Huerta (Deporte TVN), among others.

For those interested in participating, the workshop is aimed at all those people over 15 years of age who need to speak in public, even if it is to a small group of people, or simply want to feel more comfortable in their body expression. 

The total cost is 100 thousand pesos per person and registration will be open from April 06 to 22, from 8:30 a.m. to 13:00 p.m. (morning) and from 14:30 p.m. to 18:00 p.m. (afternoon) at the Extension Center. 

For more information about registration and payment methods, you must do so at the ULS Extension Center or call the numbers 2204171 and 2204174. You can also send an e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. o This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The event will take place on Tuesday, April 15, from 19:00 p.m., and its entry is free. 

The Extension Office of the University of La Serena invites the community to the second musical presentation inserted in the 2014 concert season. It is the oboe concert called ''Whispers of Latin America'', with the oboist José Luis Urquieta, who will interpret musical pieces in a Latin American solo oboe.

José Luis Urquieta, was born in the city of La Serena, coming from a family of musicians. He began his studies in the oboe chair of his father José Urquieta Varela, at the Experimental School of Music ''Jorge Peña Hen''. He has a degree in Music, mention in Oboe Musical Interpretation from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, he specializes in the Superior Conservatory of Music of the Balearic Islands in Spain and the Musikhochschule of Karlsruhe in Germany.

The soloist initiates an intense diffusion of Latin American music, developing concerts of this type in various European countries. His active concert schedule this season includes presentations in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, Greece, Turkey and Morocco.

Within the program that he will present, various compositions by important Latin American musical exponents are contemplated, such as Astor Piazzolla from Argentina, Leonardo Cárdenas from Ecuador, Heitor Alimonda from Brazil, including the prominent regional artist Esteban Correa, among other renowned musicians. ''It is a concert for oboe by Latin American composers, who have written especially for the oboe and has two sources (...), it is contemporary music or music that is currently written, learned, for concert. And the second source is music that has to do with folklore, or with more traditional roots, it's a super interesting program because it combines these two themes, (...) you can find music that is very similar to what composers currently do, both in Europe and Latin America,'' said the interpreter.

The event will take place on Tuesday, April 15, from 19:00 p.m., at the Extension Center located at Calle Prat No. 446, La Serena. The entrance is free and will be subject only to the capacity of the rooms.

For more information and registration, interested persons can approach the ULS Extension Center or call 051-2-204171 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..