One of the three massive activities was the traditional Tea Ceremony, which was held in the Japanese Garden of La Serena, thanks to the constant collaboration of CAP Minería.

Conferences, workshops, cosplay contest, concert and tea ceremony were the detail of the extensive program presented in its 2019 version by the Japan Weekend ULS, an activity organized by the Directorate of Liaison with the Environment and Extension of the University of La Serena (DIVEULS ), in collaboration with the Embassy of Japan in Chile and the Chilean-Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

More than 500 people were part of this usual approach in the month of January between the Coquimbo Region and Japanese culture, from their different areas of daily life. The program began with the conference "Japanese influence in the development of national video games", given by the designer and entrepreneur Cristian González, director of the video game company Iguanabee, who shared his experience on the subject and his achievements at the level. international.

Subsequently, the Cosplay Contest was held, an activity that in its VII version was a window for those people who dedicate time, work and financial investment to dress up as their favorite characters, this time only Japanese. The winners were: Antonia Estivales and Nataly García (honorable mention), Ayumi Katamisawa and Kata Ramos (second place) and Paloma Herrera (first place).

The next day was marked by the visit of the cultural attaché of the Japanese Embassy in Chile, Ko Takahashi, who gave the conference “Japan and Chile: fraternal and strategic cooperation.” In this regard, the cultural attaché highlighted: “I am quite impressed by the attendance at the activities and I am very grateful for this activity that has been spreading Japanese culture for many years (…) Almost all the activities are concentrated in Santiago, it is a concern that we have had since the Embassy, ​​so the regionalization of Japanese culture is something very important for us.”

Subsequently, the conference “Japan through songs, festivals and its seasons” was held, given by the JICA volunteer at the University of La Serena, Ritsuko Kohara. The activity was attended by the Director of Human Resources of the ULS, Héctor Bugueño, who indicated that “rarely have I seen that in one hour the topics associated with a culture as complex as the Japanese are chosen so well and that it suits us all. the auditorium so clear. I would say that she was very intelligent in choosing essential topics of Japanese culture that we were able to learn today and that it is also an opportunity to give value to Japanese culture.”

The workshops aimed at the community were “Origami”, taught by Harumi Matsuzaki, and “Chigirie”, taught by María Cristina Pérez de Arce, both with full capacity and an excellent response from the community. To end the second day, there was a Japanese music concert by performers Mike Komilla (soprano) and Namie Kurokawa (piano).

Tea ceremony

To end the program, the traditional Tea Ceremony (Chanoyu) was held, a Japanese ritual that explains how to prepare green tea or matcha, in which a small group of guests participated in a quiet environment. This activity is presented at each end of Japan Weekend and is anticipated by the regional community, as it is a significant manifestation of traditional Japanese history and culture.

This final activity was carried out in the Japanese Park of La Serena, in collaboration with the Chilean Japanese Cultural Institute and CAP Minería.

Source: DIVEULS press

The activity is part of the program for evaluating audiovisual heritage archives and developing film clubs of the Arts, Cultures and Heritage Network.

With around 20 attendees, the first 2019 initiative of the Network of State Universities of Chile was carried out in the Coquimbo Region. This is the “Cinema Clubs Self-Training” workshop, intended to provide tools to teachers, cultural managers, social leaders, students and others, for the creation of civil associations aimed at self-training and educational uses of cinema, in state universities.

This workshop was given by the coordinator of Cineclub Sala Sazié of the University of Chile, Valentina Ávila, as part of the program for the assessment of audiovisual heritage archives and the development of film clubs of the Arts, Cultures and Heritage Network, which is made up of three stages: the first of them is to carry out exhibition and practical workshops, with the aim of beginning to generate film club spaces in universities, to value the training of audiences and the appreciation of Chilean audiovisual heritage.

In this regard, Valentina Ávila commented that “it is super valuable that these initiatives are being taken because it has to do with a resignification of cinema itself and of the arts in general and culture. In this case we are proposing a work model that is educational, that is not commercial, that does not seek profit and what better than this type of activities being developed within the state universities of Chile."

He also highlighted that “in this workshop we focus on methodological work, because many times there is desire and enthusiasm, but people do not have the tools to be able to develop that, and in that sense people were very restless in the workshop. I see that many of them have the initiative to create film clubs and that in some way they have been doing it before and that is super positive because it is a purely educational activity with cinema.”

For Marcia Sepúlveda, who attended the workshop, this initiative deserves “thanks because it is one of the few times that these topics that are almost always discussed in Santiago are brought to the regions, it was a great opportunity. The majority of the people who came had the intention of being able to start with the formation of a film club in the area, so everything that is theoretical training is going to be useful to us and clearly on this occasion it was the starting point for many people to start. to form these film clubs. Bonds were formed, the bond is evident, so I think it will be a very good opportunity to live the cinema experience here in the area.”

These workshops seek to be a first real contribution to the implementation and strengthening of film clubs in the universities attached to Cuech, starting from the basis that, as public higher education institutions, the generation of training and reflection spaces open to the community, constitutes integral part of its mission. These workshops will generate records and inputs that will feed the publication Manual de Cineclubismo, the second milestone of the program, and whose launch is expected to take place in 2019.

For two and a half weeks, the regional capital became the scene of great artistic proposals of choral, chamber and orchestral music, bringing together nearly 8 thousand attendees.

With a closure marked by the 6.7 earthquake that shook the Coquimbo Region a few days ago, the La Serena Regional Symphony Orchestra Foundation concluded more than 15 continuous days of music and training workshops, framed in the successful XXXIV Musical Encounters of La Serena . The new version featured the participation of great figures from Chile and Argentina, and addressed various artistic proposals, both in formats and activities, linked to musical interpretation.

The massive regional event brought together nearly 8 attendees and was divided into three important programmatic lines. The first began with mediation activities aimed at the music students of the territory, who formed the Los Encuentros Youth Symphony Orchestra (OSJE), a group created in an unprecedented way for this festival, and which had the collaboration of the leaders of the Universidad de La Serena Symphony Orchestra, and the impeccable direction of the guest teacher and professor of Conducting at the Basel Academy of Music (Switzerland), Rodolfo Fischer (Chile), with whom they inaugurated the week of evening concerts in the regional capital.

Another of the activities developed was the III International Choral Conducting Course, led by another talented teacher: Fernando Tomé (Argentina), graduate in Choral and Orchestral Conducting from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the National University of La Plata. The improvement instance had the collaboration of the Vocal Ensemble of the University of La Serena, led by the national tenor Gonzalo Tomckowiack, where about 25 participants participated, including active and listeners, who learned how to communicate with their choirs or orchestras through the gesture.

Miguel Platero, a music teacher of Arican origin, decided to participate in this course again: “I was in last year's edition and in this one, and the clear difference is that this time we were able to delve into all the technical aspects of conducting itself ( …) Thank Gonzalo Tomckowiack because he made his choir available, with learned pieces, therefore, the technical work that was carried out is very important. Those of us who have been directing for a long time, it is vital to perfect ourselves and improve the technical and interpretive aspects,” he stated.

Maestro Fernando Tomé said he was happy and satisfied with teaching this new choral conducting workshop, which was reflected in the second night of concerts: “it was a great thing and with a concert where 16 people conducted accompanied by a magnificent choir of professional level. The seriousness with which we worked during the week, the intensity of the participants, the number of hours of rehearsal and the evolution they had day by day was incredible.” And he added that the important thing is that “the resources that one could humbly incorporate are used in the tasks they do daily with the groups they direct, because they are the trainers of the singers. “There is potential for unusual choral activity in this area.”

Evening concerts

The programming of the XXXIV Musical Encounters of La Serena continued with the monumental concert by the La Serena University Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Rodolfo Fisher, who conducted Beethoven's 'Seventh Symphony', the overture to Mendelssohn's 'The Hebrides' , and 'Lullaby for Fuegia Basket' by the young Chilean Tomás Brantmayer. The Festival also featured chamber music concerts by the groups 'D' Entraña Cantera', 'Ensamble Vocal Cantus Florido' and 'Academia Coro Allegro', 'Cuarteto de Guitarras Universidad de La Serena' and 'Ensamble Villanueva de La Serena', where the repertoire, composition and talent of the artists moved those present on each of their days.

Gloria Bullard, who attended to see the ensemble formed by ULS academics, said that “I was intrigued to hear 'D' Entraña Cantera' because I imagined it was a cantata, but I didn't know anything else. It was a different, interesting and very special proposal; Furthermore, I loved the mix of poetry with music because they make a wonderful duet, added to the beautiful voice of the performer, it gives a charming result and I really liked that.”

While Jaime Arce, who attended the concert starring the 'Guitar Quartet', indicated that he found the program “very interesting, with a great performance by the musicians, who, by the way, are very talented. I found the music beautiful and very consistent with this type of formats. In particular, I really liked what Violeta Parra did,” thanking the rest for the creation of these spaces that contribute to the culture and recreation of the inhabitants. It seems quite good to me that in La Serena these types of free cultural activities are being carried out, I think that people need these types of events, they need to recreate themselves and get out of this bubble in which we are inserted and this, music, is a beautiful way to do it.”

Jaime Plaza, meanwhile, who enjoyed the proposal of the 'Ensamble Villanueva de La Serena', commented that he attended this concert because “he wanted to learn about popular music that is outside of traditional standards, in addition to knowing a little more about the string instruments and being able to enjoy these free access spaces with something that I really like, which is music.”

The concerts ended with the presentation of the La Serena University Symphony Orchestra, which was interrupted by the strong 6.7 earthquake that shook the Coquimbo Region. The concert featured the talent of the ULS Student Choir and two great guest soloists: the baritone Nicolás Suazo Tello and the soprano Tabita Martínez Riveros. The latter declared herself very happy with the invitation to participate in this version of the Musical Meetings, indicating that “instances of providing music for free are always valuable, where the genre of opera is allowed to expand much further, and in this festival they have addressed many styles and that shows that learned music opens up to people who generally do not listen to it, and that is very good.”

It should be noted that the XXXIV Musical Encounters of La Serena are a regional event that was born in 1984 by the orchestra director and musical manager, Fernando Rosas, with the idea of ​​taking advantage of the musical wealth developed in the surrounding commune. from the legacy of maestro Jorge Peña Hen. Currently, the festival is organized by the ULS Music Department and the La Serena Regional Symphony Orchestra Foundation, thanks to the support and sponsorship of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage; the University of La Serena, through the Directorate of Liaison with the Environment and Extension (DIVEULS); and the Illustrious Municipality of La Serena, through its Department of Culture, Tourism and Events, the Gabriel González Videla Corporation and the Municipal Theater of La Serena.

These days, the Universidad de La Serena Symphony Orchestra is preparing its concert 'The Symphonic 80s', within the framework of the ARC 2019 Festival of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage.

Source: La Serena University Symphony Orchestra

The call is aimed at people who are interested in the world of culture, creative industries, the field of cinema, audiovisuals and communications. Those who want to attend must write to the contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Art, Culture and Heritage Network, belonging to the Framework Agreement of the Consortium of State Universities of Chile, is carrying out this month a Cycle of Workshops for the Self-Training of Film Clubs in various study houses in the country. On January 23, this workshop will be held at the University of La Serena, seeking to bring cinema closer to citizens, training active, participatory and critical audiences.

The training sessions seek to encourage the generation of film clubs open to the community, to promote reflection on cinema and value public audiovisual cultural heritage through the work of state universities.

“With the generation of these workshops, the intention of the state universities to contribute to regional development is strengthened, establishing spaces for community reflection around the audiovisual heritage and the cultural memory of the country, elements that are possible to appreciate in the historical achievements that exist. ”, commented the Director of Artistic Creation of the VID, Fernando Gaspar.

Encouraging the creation of this type of cultural organizations in the different educational institutions nationwide, training will be implemented that will address the benefits and practices associated with film clubs. In these instances, the pedagogical foundations on the audiovisual area and community participation in the programmatic and critical generation of cinema will be delivered.

The third session of the program, to be held in the Coquimbo Region, will be taught at the ULS Extension Center (Los Carrera 207, La Serena), and will be led by the coordinator of the Cinema Club Sala Sazié of the University of Chile , Valentina Ávila.

In this regard, the Director of Liaison with the Environment and ULS Extension, Dr. Catalina Cvitanic, said that “our Network of Arts, Cultures and Heritage focuses on highlighting all artistic manifestations, in particular highlighting current and past cinema. . In this aspect we have a great task, we must recover Cinema Art, a concept that still remains in the imagination of citizens and the university community, and that, these days, is gaining strength and coexists with commercial audiovisual platforms.  

Along with the workshops, a publication will be presented that will be distributed free of charge in universities and cultural centers. The content addresses the history and creation of film clubs, the particularities of the national context and the methodologies used to form these spaces.

Source: DIVEULS press

The boys and girls of the Coquimbo Region had attractive vacation panoramas.

Ceramics and creativity workshop, children's bookbinding, kinesiology: clinical care, mathematical games and brain problems, and physical and sports activity, was the detail of the programming of this entertaining and educational program titled Children's University 2019.

Like every year, the Directorate of Liaison with the Environment and Extension of the University of La Serena held different workshops focused on boys, girls and young people between 5 and 18 years old. In the activities, the students had the opportunity to see laboratories and spaces of the university courses, and share with academics and students from the ULS.

A peculiarity that was presented this year is that the Kinesiology program, in addition to showing its laboratories, on this occasion decided to provide a clinical experience to the young students, who treated real patients, always guided by the university students and the academic in charge. Edwin Contreras.

“The intention of this version was to introduce those participants of the 2019 version into the pure kinesiology environment, that is, to fulfill the role of the kinesiologist to see if from that perspective, already at an early age, they could engage with the option of being kinesiologists at future We have a lot of support from academics, our students, and our patients who provide constant care throughout the year. We also received a lot of support from the degree program, highlighted Edwin Contreras, Kinesiology academic.

Another of the new workshops that was taught this year was “Children's Binding”, where students had the opportunity to create their own notebooks or notebooks. “I loved working with children, the desire they have to learn, that they are super attentive, and very respectful, trying to do everything well and stand out,” emphasized the DIVEULS designer, Delany Gallardo.

This activity is organized by the Directorate of Liaison with the Environment and Extension in collaboration with different academics from the university and professionals from the institution. 

To find out details and review records of activities, connect through social networks: Facebook centroextensionuls, Twitter @diveuls or on the website extension.userena.cl.

Source: DIVEULS press

The activity organized by the Directorate of Liaison with the Environment and Extension of the University of La Serena (DIVEULS), has the collaboration of the Embassy of Japan in Chile and the Chilean-Japanese Chamber of Commerce.

Summer is coming and lovers of Japanese culture are eagerly awaiting the programming of the Chile - Japan cultural meeting, titled “Japan Weekend ULS”. On this occasion, the opening of the “Japanese Dolls and Ukiyo-e” exhibition marked the beginning of what will be the 2019 version, which will take place on Thursday, January 17, Friday, January 18, and Saturday, January 19.

The Japan Weekend ULS program began with a significant ceremony, which was attended by the Rector of the University of La Serena, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, vice-rectors, deans, among other university authorities, and more than 100 people, who gathered in the Exhibition Hall to see the exhibition of engravings and illustrations that capture Japanese culture from different areas.

This exhibition is carried out thanks to the collaboration of the Embassy of Japan in Chile, which facilitated the transfer of this sample that shows customs, traditions, seasons of the year and even traditional Japanese fashion. In addition, the works include a sample of Japanese dolls that show different customs and ceremonies of the Japanese country.

Rector Avilés stated that “it is a privilege for the University to be able to organize this activity, especially since it has the important support of the Embassy of Japan and some Japanese companies. This has become a permanent activity and that is good for the University, because it shows an institution that is committed to culture in general and, of course, it is also important to link through these activities with the local environment.”

Another of those attending the inauguration was Go Yajima, representative of the mining company Nittetsu Chile, which has supported this activity since its inception. “It is very impressive because Chile is so far from Japan. I think it is a surprise first, but at the same time I also feel proud of so much interest, so many people who come to this event to learn about the culture of my country, that is very impressive,” he highlighted.

While the person in charge of Culture at DIVEULS invited the community to visit the exhibition, which will be open until the programming ends. “We have the privilege of having, perhaps, one of the richest Japanese exhibitions in terms of cultural heritage and diversity in La Serena. So the invitation is for you to visit the Exhibition Hall from January 10 to 18,” he noted.

This exhibition will be open in the Exhibition Hall of the study house, Benavente 950, from Monday to Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 13:00 p.m. and from 14:30 p.m. to 18:00 p.m., and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 13:00 p.m. and from 14:30 p.m. to 17:00 p.m.

Japan Weekend 2019 is an activity organized by the Directorate of Liaison with the Environment and Extension of the ULS, which has the collaboration of the Embassy of Japan in Chile and the sponsorship of the Chilean-Japanese Chamber of Commerce, the Chilean Cultural Institute - Japonés, CAP Minería and other Japanese companies present in the Coquimbo Region and the northern part of the country.

Download here the Japan Weekend 2019 activities program.

Source: DIVEULS press