For the second semester, the Pedagogical Theater Meeting is expected to take place at the University of La Serena and the National Choir Meeting at the University of O'Higgins, among others.

An intense work agenda for the second half of 2018 is committed to the Art, Culture and Heritage Network that makes up the 18 universities that are part of the state higher education system. Agenda that is framed in the Multiannual Plan 2018-2020 approved by the Board of Directors of the Consortium of State Universities (CUECH).

This was announced by Mónica Quiroz, director of the CUECH Network Objective Framework Agreement, during the ordinary meeting held by the Network at the University of Los Lagos. Quiroz highlighted the definition of art, culture and heritage as a strategic area of ​​development until 2020 by the Consortium.

“The Art, Culture and Heritage Network's fundamental objective is to contribute to the reflection and development of arts and culture at a national and regional level from universities and today we find ourselves at a crucial moment for the network in order to give a qualitative leap in terms of what university cultural management means, understood as a management model that embodies this declaration of being a significant contribution to regional and national development,” he said.

In this sense - Quiroz added - a multi-year plan has been determined that contains programs, projects and activities that will begin to be developed systematically from the second half of 2018 and that will make visible a way of creating culture from the integrated system that constitutes the network. .

Choirs and Pedagogical Theater

As a result of the meeting, five activities were defined and planned that are included in the 2018 work plan. Among them, the main milestone that will mark the semester will be the National Meeting of State University Choirs on November 20 and 21 in the Libertador Region Bernardo O'Higgins and which will be hosted by the recently created University of O'Higgins.

The second activity to be developed will be the Pedagogical Theater Meeting, which aims to share theatrical experiences from an academic perspective. It is expected that attendees will be able to visualize that theater can be a powerful tool for teaching in all areas of knowledge. This event will be held at the University of La Serena on November 15 and will bring together university academics from the country's state universities of any discipline, school teachers, Pedagogy students, theater directors and actors.

The Director of Liaison with the Environment and Extension of the ULS, Dr. Catalina Cvitanic, who participated in the creation of this proposal, stated that “educational theater is a very interesting line to explore and implement in any discipline, both in universities as in school education. The particular case of mathematical theater, an area of ​​interest of mine for several years, is something new, at least in our country. Our pride is that the University of La Serena has led this line of work, since we have been working on this issue for several years with our Company ÉTÉULS.”

For the morning session, the meeting considers presenting a play representative of pedagogical theater, having three speakers (university academics) who share their experience, a space for questions and experiences of the attendees, and a closing table about the conclusions. of the meeting. While a workshop, closing and conclusions are planned for the afternoon.

The third planned activity is the Arts Forum, which was previously organized by the University of Chile and will now be organized by the 18 universities of the Network.

Source: DIVEULS press

A new sound by the conductor David Händel and the French horn soloist, Alejandro Meléndez, will open the National Holidays celebrations in the region.

September, month of the Homeland and large-scale concerts. As is traditional every month and responding to its musical work, the ensemble belonging to the Network of Professional Regional Orchestras of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage is preparing to offer a new and magnificent seasonal concert, inspired by 'Chile & Latin America'.

On this occasion, the repertoire stands out for its sublime selection without borders, a captivating journey towards the senses that promises to delight attendees with four magnificent works, among them, the piece 'Paisaje Urbano', by the composer and Altazor and National Music Award winner. , Guillermo Rifo; 'Concert for horn and strings', written by the Chilean, Carlos Zamora, and which will be performed by the guest soloist, Alejandro Meléndez Pino; and then gave rise to 'Fuga y Misterio', by the Argentine bandoneonist and composer Astor Piazzolla, considered one of the most important musicians of the 1th century. The presentation will culminate with the work 'Sinfonietta N°XNUMX', by Brazilian Heitor Villa-Lobos.

As for the piece for horn and orchestra, Zamora referred to it in an interview with Álvaro Gallegos for Radio Beethoven, in which he maintained that he composed this work for “orchestral format, whether large or small (…), I decided to use only strings as accompaniment, so that the work has the opportunity to be performed anywhere, and there are many string orchestras.” Regarding its structure, it is arranged “in the old way in three movements: fast-slow-fast, with a cadenza in the third. Musically, it follows the line that I have been working on, that is, it involves melotypes and rhythms of indigenous Andean music, although with the novelty that now I also allude to the Mapuche people, through an imitation of the trutruka by the horn. . This is mixed with the melody of the pullay, which is what is sung for Ash Wednesday at the San Pedro de Atacama carnival. It is a pattern that I have been following for years, which is to use those elements of indigenous music,” explained the composer from Calama.

The VII Concert of 'The Symphony of Cultures' will once again be conducted by the American maestro, David Händel, widely known for his passionate musical leadership and abilities to energize both orchestras and audiences, becoming one of the most significant emerging conductors in the world , and the person in charge of massifying his imprint on each work in the program.

Before his last presentation in the city of La Serena, Händel indicated that the concert in tribute to the South American territory will stand out for its character: “we will perform contemporary works that I think the audience will love, it will be a concert with a very diverse program and, Of course, we will have a Chilean composer. On many occasions I have had the opportunity to conduct contemporary works here in La Serena and the public has become very receptive to the new music, they have opened their minds and that is fantastic,” said the maestro. He also extended an affectionate invitation to the local community for next September 14, indicating that “it is always good to celebrate and we always have to do it with music and celebrate Chilean artists, so everyone is welcome to the presentation that we are preparing with great effort.” love to Chile, to its composers and performers.”

The Municipal Theater of La Serena will also have another outstanding national musician on stage, Alejandro Meléndez, professor of the French horn department of the Music Department of the University of La Serena, an artist with extensive work directing Youth Orchestras, leading the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Coquimbo Region. As a concert pianist, he has stood out as first horn of the Carnegie Mellon Philahmonic, Concepción Symphony and La Serena Symphony orchestras, in addition to performing countless recitals for horn and piano in the United States, Spain, Italy, France, Colombia, Argentina and Chile, including the Rapa Nui territory. He is currently premiering with the 'Ensamble 20-21 Chile' the work 'Mistralian Concerts', by the composer and horn player from Serena Joan Capetillo, inspired by the figure of the regional poet and Nobel Prize winner.

In the words of concert pianist Alejandro Meléndez, this presentation entails a triple privilege for him: “first, it is a huge pleasure to perform a Chilean work for horn and orchestra, composed by Carlos Zamora and that rescues traditional themes from Chile, especially from the North of the country; second, sharing with the orchestra as a soloist and generating this new musical bond is special; and, finally, being under the direction of David Händel. I have known the maestro for a long time, we have shared a lot and whenever he comes to conduct the orchestra we go out and talk about music and his experience, so I also have deep admiration for him as a conductor, since my other area is also conducting.” , explained the corn player.

The VII Season Concert 'Chile & Latin America' will take place next Friday, September 14, at the Municipal Theater of La Serena, starting at 20:00 p.m. To attend this event, more than 150 free withdrawal invitations have been arranged: the general public and older adults can go to the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage Coquimbo Region (Colón #848), La Serena Public Library (Colón #495, corner Balmaceda), Gabriela Mistral Regional Library (Juan José Latorre #782) and/or La Serena Municipal Theater (Benavente #580). While school students and students from the University of La Serena can pick up their invitation at the Extension Office of the ULS Music Department (Larraín Alcalde s/n, between Los Jardines and Seminario). Those who are unable to withdraw their invitation will be able to purchase tickets at the municipal venue box office on the same day of the event, with prices ranging from $3.000 for the general public and $2.000 for seniors; while school and ULS students, presenting their credentials.

It should be noted that this presentation has the support and financing of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage, through Glosa de Presupuesto Nacional since 2016, added to the important sponsorship of the United States Embassy in Chile, and the collaboration provided by the University of La Serena and the Illustrious Municipality of La Serena, through its Department of Culture and the Municipal Theater.

Source: Press Symphony Orchestra University of La Serena

The book will be presented by Dr. Sylvia Contreras Salinas, an academic from the University of Santiago de Chile.

The Directorate of Links with the Environment and Extension, together with the Publishing House of the University of La Serena, invite the student and general community to the presentation of the book "Education in Human Rights", by the academic of the state campus, Edgardo Carabantes Olivares . The ceremony will take place on Wednesday, September 12, at 18:00 p.m., at the Irma Salas Silva Central Library of the ULS, located at Anfión Muñoz 875, La Serena.

This book comes from a doctoral thesis of Dr. Carabantes, which rescues the experience of those students of Pedagogy careers at the University of La Serena, who for a semester were trained around Human Rights issues, in a space of conversations and reflection.  

In this regard, Alejandro Abufom, in charge of the Universidad de La Serena Editorial, commented: “there is a methodological issue in Human Rights contained in the book that is very important. This book offers a perspective on how to approach the work of Human Rights with students. It is a very useful and much-needed book.”

Abufom also indicated that “this book shows that it is possible to take the investigative work that is done in academia, combine it with work in the classroom with undergraduate students, and place it at the service of readers. That is to say, that knowledge is not locked up in the university, but rather goes abroad and what better way than a book”.

For more information on this and other books 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..

Source: DIVEULS press

The workshop was in its fourth version and aimed to reinforce knowledge and implement new musical techniques in the participants.

For five days, the city of La Serena brought together more than thirty students and musicians from different destinations in the country and Latin America, who participated in the IV version of the orchestral conducting course with the American maestro, David Händel. The successful training workshop, free of charge, was organized by the La Serena Regional Symphony Orchestra Foundation together with the La Serena University Symphony Orchestra and sponsored by the United States Embassy in Chile.

The training was open to both professionals and beginners in orchestral conducting, who were divided into active audiences and listeners, enriching themselves with new learning and musical techniques, to finally culminate a full week of classes leading the regional professional orchestra with a work to your choice.

Directly from the city of La Paz, Bolivia, came Israel Torres, who has extensive musical training in piano, flute and orchestral direction. After his visit to the regional capital, the musician said that “I really liked that the course was intended for conductors of different levels and to be able to work on a repertoire together with the University's own Symphony Orchestra (...). Furthermore, it was an open workshop, free of charge, because courses at this level and with this training abroad, with two pianos, conductor, correction and video recording, cost between 1.500 and 2.000 dollars, so I took advantage of the opportunity to come.”

Torres also referred to the experience lived with his peers and the learning acquired by one of the most acclaimed conductors around the world. It should be remembered that Maestro Händel is extremely well known in the highland country, since from an early age and for 15 years, he was resident conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of said country, standing out for unprecedented growth and significant audience attraction. managing to establish a model of orchestra organization in Latin America.

“Master David Händel is highly recognized worldwide, especially for the work done here in Latin America. In my country he made an impressive change, he managed to attract new audiences, he made many arrangements with the Theater that houses the National Orchestra of Bolivia, and he raised the musical level. He left a great legacy, that is why I came to Chile to study with him, specifically in this course, because I know the level he represents. Händel is an ideal of a director that I would like to reach one day when he reaches professionalism,” said the participant.

For Alfonsina Torrealba, a flutist from Santiago and with a strong conviction to dedicate her life to orchestral conducting, this workshop was key to her professional training: “I am very grateful for the opportunity and that a teacher from another place can correct you. I recently left the conservatory where I studied Music Theory and now I am specializing in orchestral conducting.” And he added that this workshop “contributes a lot to my training because an orchestra conductor here in Chile does not have a career, he does not have an institutionalized place where he can learn permanently, so we, through our work, begin to learn on our own.” ”.

Currently, the young promise conducts in different groups in the Metropolitan Region, so participating in the workshop was essential: “I am grateful for having found out about this course through social networks and with time, that allowed me to ask for permission, since I conduct an orchestra youth and a church music choir in Santiago Centro (…), and now I was able to conduct the professional orchestra of La Serena and it was tremendous, in fact, I asked one of my colleagues to record me because this for me is very valuable and would allow me to apply for a master's degree in Europe, for example.”

Alejandro Nuñez, a trumpet player who graduated in Pedagogy in Musical Education from the University of La Serena, stated that this week of learning was “an instance of personal growth, both musically and academically, there are many aspects that have been worked, that have been corrected and that we dealt with things that we did not realize and that we had learned, and we were able to correct them in this course. It was an instance of growth for all colleagues, one also learns techniques that other participants bring; Therefore, learning with the teacher David Händel has been quite pleasant and light.” Personally, the Serenense musician highlighted having learned about “the impulse of the will that consists of projecting, through gestures, the energy that one wants to share with the orchestra, and the other thing is the preparation, the learning method of the scores and how to act in front of the musicians.”

Finally, the American director expressed that in this IV version “we had more people than ever, more than thirty participants and it is expected to continue growing over the years. There was a very good vibe among everyone, friendship, and we managed the course in a Socratic way, that is, the students themselves criticized their colleagues in a positive and constructive way, and that allowed a very collegial and positive human aspect to exist," adding that in this version "I was delighted with the boys and girls who were part of the workshop, there are several who have come several times and it is gratifying to see their progress, and also to be able to monitor it because habits appear again."

The orchestral conducting course was held in the facilities of the ULS Department of Music, thanks to the management of the La Serena Regional Symphony Orchestra Foundation and the La Serena University Symphony Orchestra, and the important sponsorship of the United States Embassy .

Source: La Serena University Symphony Orchestra

The successful Coquimbán group will be the protagonist of the fifth installment of this program, winner of the 2018 National Music Fund. This episode will be broadcast on Saturday, September 08, starting at 20:00 p.m., on Radio Universitaria 94.5 FM in La Serena and Coquimbo.

Radio Universitaria FM, station of the University of La Serena, will broadcast this week the fifth episode of its program cycle called "Our Sounds: Musical Creators of the Coquimbo Region", dedicated exclusively to the dissemination of regional authors and musicians.

This week's guests will be Tulio Guerrero and Said Abdala, founding musicians of the regional rock band Los Changos.

Started as a group that entertains university parties in Coquimbo, the Los Changos trio was originally formed with guitarist and singer Tulio Guerrero, bassist Guillermo Narváez and drummer Omar Santander, students of Environmental Civil Engineering at the ULS.

After that beginning, the band decided to take another step in music around 2004, when they began to write their own compositions. Guitarist Orlando Sánchez, who was participating in the jazz scene, joined shortly after. In this way, as a quartet, Los Changos (name obtained from the South American ethnic group of fishermen that inhabited the entire north of Chile) oriented themselves to music linked to the pre-Columbian ancestral influence and the natural environment.

The mix of roots-based music, like Los Jaivas, fused Andean, Mapuche and rock elements. Los Changos thus published the album The influence of the sea (2006), a conceptual piece focused on the relationship between the inhabitants of coastal towns and the immensity of the ocean.

From there, the group expanded its musical timbres with Said Abdala, a versatile trutruka and ethnic percussion player. In 2007, Los Changos joined the Escuelas de Rock and performed at the Rockódromo festival, which later led them to appear on the album Escuelas de rock Volumen 13 (2008) and on the Bicentenarock compilation (2009).

With a new line-up, with bassist Rodolfo Sánchez and drummer Emilio Palma, Los Changos recorded the album Espacio y tiempo (2010), the next work based on the four seasons of the annual cycle, and where the project had the collaboration of the legendary guitarist Coquimbano from Los Viking's 5, Eduardo Lalo Macuada.

According to what is stated by its members, Los Changos were born from the need of its members to express themselves through music and their roots in nature. In their lyrics, they address themes inherent to man and his interaction with the reality that surrounds him. Musically, they mix Andean-rooted folklore with rock and psychedelia.

“Our Sounds” is a project promoted by the Department of Corporate Communications of the ULS, which was the winner of the 2018 National Music Fund, Chilean Music Radio Broadcasting line.

The invitation is to tune in to this fifth episode, which will be broadcast this Saturday, September 08, starting at 20:00 p.m., through the 94.5 frequency of Radio Universitaria FM for La Serena and Coquimbo and on its online signal available at www.userena.cl.

The educational event allowed attendees to acquire new knowledge and techniques for mastering the guitar, as well as show their abilities and skills with a work of their choice.

August has not only been a month of celebrations, but it has also become a nutritious learning opportunity for many students and musicians in the conurbation. These are more than 50 attendees who responded to the invitation extended by the La Serena Regional Symphony Orchestra Foundation to participate in an interesting guitar master class, an activity with a highly educational focus and no membership fee.

The musical event was conducted by one of the most prominent performers worldwide, the Chilean concert pianist Luis Orlandini, professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and professor and current Dean of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Chile, who visited the city ​​of La Serena to share their knowledge, experiences and techniques with young talents in the Coquimbo Region.

The opportunity was deeply valued by the participants, both active and listening, who came to the offices of the Music Department of the University of La Serena to perform a piece of their choice, so that the teacher could see their abilities and skills. on the guitar, as well as correcting flaws and providing advice for better mastery of it.

After the master class given and his long experience as a teacher, Luis Orlandini related that “for many years I had heard from people, even my own students who studied here (La Serena) and then went to Santiago, that it was difficult to find people who had more dedication, so to speak, on the guitar. Today I met very interested young people, who played very well and who were well conducted; So it was a very nice and rewarding experience, since there was also a significant audience and that was very beneficial for everyone,” stressed the concert artist.

Likewise, he extended a message to all those performers who wish to continue their studies on the guitar, emphasizing that “when you want something, you have to do everything possible to achieve it. In the case of music or any type of art it is a little more complicated because one often has to fight to get a space, but it is absolutely possible. There are many people who dedicate themselves to music and the arts in general, and it is a very beautiful thing, which, moreover, allows us to have a more complete society.”

Jaime Guerrero, a Bachelor of Music student with a Major in Classical Guitar at ULS, was one of the active participants, stating that he was “very grateful for the opportunity to have participated in this master class with maestro Luis Orlandini; Without a doubt, it was an enriching and very important moment for me as a musician and instrumentalist.”

The pedagogical activity was organized by the La Serena Regional Symphony Orchestra Foundation, in coordination with the University of La Serena Symphony Orchestra and the Music Department of the higher education institution, where the academic and professor of the guitar chair, Francisco Vergara was in charge of organizing the list of participants. After the success of the class, he commented that “we talked with the students about the amount of time a guitarist had not come to La Serena to do an activity of this type. For the children it is of vital importance for their training, this allows them to consolidate the knowledge they have and is also a boost to the teachers who are here, since it serves as support for what one teaches to young people during educational training." .

Teacher Vergara also referred to the expectations of the students, as well as the academic staff of the U. de La Serena regarding the class: “the students and I loved the class, the truth is that It was super good, super attentive, and it was given as a class should always be, with instructions, suggestions and corrections if necessary. She was very good and always interesting and open to what they are listening to as well.”

It should be noted that in addition to the master class, Luis Orlandini participated as a guest soloist at the VI Seasonal Concert of the University of La Serena Symphony Orchestra, to celebrate the 474th anniversary of La Serena, where he dazzled the hundreds of attendees who They filled the city's Municipal Theater.

Source: Press Symphony Orchestra University of La Serena