For two hours, poetry lovers were able to hear and recite literary pieces and engage in debates about this art in a relaxed atmosphere and accompanied by a good coffee.

In the Exhibition Hall of the University of La Serena and with the same romanticism and magnetism that characterizes it, the traditional Poetic Café was held, taught by the director of the Mistraliano Center of the ULS, Dr. Rolando Manzano Concha, who shared with the attendees various poems and prose, in addition to commemorating the birth of Gabriela Mistral and Book Day.

About twenty people, some faces faithful and habitual to this activity and others new, such as a group of students from the Pedro Aguirre Cerda School, were able to enjoy this event around the world of letters.

Without a doubt, the presence of the seventh, eighth and first grade children from the Pedro Aguirre Cerda School gave another air to the Café this April. Amalia Madina, one of the faithful attendees of this Poetic Café, pointed out that “it has been very pleasant for me to share and return to my days as a teacher, because this corner, this Poetic Café has been crowned with the presence of children, a very nice initiative from a colleague whom I congratulate.”

Meanwhile, the director of the Mistralian Center and PhD in Philosophy and Letters, Rolando Manzano, after the closing of the activity, maintained that “it was a very beneficial first occasion because it allowed us to bring together a fairly significant group and with a presence of children who He came representing a school, accompanied by his teacher, which was joined by older people and other young people, who recited and read their texts to us, which was very significant in this Café and the traditional enthusiasm of those who accompanied us.”

Source: Press Extension Direction

A new meeting awaits lovers of poetry and literature, where attendees will be able to hear and read literary pieces, in addition to engaging in debates about this art.

This Thursday, April 23, at 19:00 p.m., the traditional “Poetic Coffee” of the University of La Serena will begin. The initiative, which is part of the monthly programming of the ULS Extension Directorate, is organized in conjunction with the Mistralian Center of the same institution. 

The meeting for lovers of poetry and literature will be led by the director of the ULS Mistralian Center and Dr. in Philosophy and Letters, Rolando Manzano, and will take place in the Exhibition Hall of the study house, located in Benavente 950, La Serena. 

This month, Café Poético opens its 2015 agenda in the context of the celebrations of the birth of Gabriela Mistral; However, the date chosen to open the season is also an important anniversary for the world of literature and poetry, as it commemorates International Book Day.

Regarding the activity itself, Dr. Manzano invited all those who like literature, letters and writing. “We invite you to start this cycle of Poetic Coffee, I hope we can count on a lot of participation where we will have the traditional dynamic in which all the people who attend can present their productions, those who write poetry, stories, narrative or any type of writing that they practice, they will be able to make them known that day and if there is someone who does not have writings, but is a good reader and wants to comment on some of the works they have read, they also have the opportunity to do so," said the director of the Mistralian Center.

The director of ULS Extension, Dr. Catalina Cvitanic, highlighted the importance of having spaces where literature lovers can share their creation. “Our Poetic Café has the quality of being open to all types of audiences, where attendees can share about literature, so the invitation is made for them to participate.” 

For more information about this meeting, you should only go to the ULS Extension Center, located at 446 Prat Street, contact 2-204171 or write to the email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Source: Press Extension Direction 

Back in Chile, pianist Stefanie Victoria Vial López presents this Friday at the ULS Music Department a kaleidoscope of sounds from Spain and Argentina.

Within the learned repertoire, we rarely have the opportunity to meet musicians who decide to undertake a journey of discovery towards composers who are not part of the usual concert program. Those musicians whose names are not heard as commonly as those of Beethoven or Mozart, but who thanks to the incredible richness of their music have climbed to that place where they share a fame that deserves to be rescued and shared. 

This is the case of the Chilean pianist, Stefanie Victoria Vial López, who returns to Chile after finishing with honors her Master's Degree in Music with a specialization in Piano Performance at the University of Sydney, Australia. The artist seeks to find the local public with those representative works of Spanish and Argentine music from the beginning of the XNUMXth century. 

Stefanie Vial began her piano studies at the age of 7, entering the piano chair of Professor Ariadna Colli in the Music Department of the University of La Serena. Since then she began an early career full of successes, participating in important competitions such as the Claudio Arrau Competition, where she obtained honorable mentions, and the Patagonia International Piano Competition in the city of Punta Arenas, where she obtained first place. the year 2003.

Her career as a soloist has taken her since she was young to tour our country from Iquique to Punta Arenas, performing in renowned venues such as the Municipal Theater of Santiago and in important concerts such as those organized by the Federico Chopin Chile Society. 

It is through Ibero-American music that Stefanie finds a wellspring of possibilities in the piano, thus discovering three composers whose music has gone almost unnoticed within the ocean of works dedicated to this instrument. The Spaniards, Joaquín Turina (1882), Federico Mompou (1893), and the Argentine Alberto Ginastera (1916), are the most representative composers of the music of their respective countries, addressing an interesting mix between the sounds coming from the impressionism of the late XNUMXth century. XNUMXth century and traditional Spanish or Argentine folklore, in the case of Gintastera.

The works that will be performed this Friday, April 24, at 19:30 p.m., in the Mecesup Room of the Music Department of the University of La Serena are: “Travel Album” Op. 15 by Joaquín Turina, “Canciones and Dances” by Federico Mompou, and “Danzas Argentinas” Op. 2 by the Argentine Alberto Ginastera. Admission to this recital is free. 

Source: OSULS Press

Professors, students and the general public were present at the inaugural talk of the traditional university lecture, which had the purpose of understanding what human rights are and how they are currently worked on. 

With a large audience, a new version of the Raúl Bitrán Nachary 2015 Lecture was held in the Exhibition Hall of the University of La Serena, which was aimed at debating and reflecting on current human rights issues and their implications in the different areas of social development and university work, to respond to the challenges of the regional and national context in this matter.

The initiative, organized by the Extension Directorate and the National Institute of Human Rights, and sponsored by the Department of Education of the ULS, had the participation of Enrique Azúa, head of the education area of ​​the National Institute of Human Rights, representing of its director, Mg. Lorena Fries, together with the representative in Chile of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Dr. Humberto Henderson, who were in charge of the inaugural conference: “What do we understand today by Human Rights?”

The welcome to this series of talks was given by the Rector of the University of La Serena, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, who highlighted the importance of human rights today and for the institution he heads. "We believe that a University should make room for dialogue and encounter, contributing to the formation of reflective subjects - critical and respectful of others," said the highest university authority. 

While the director of Extension of the ULS, Dr. Catalina Cvitanic, stressed the importance of the activity. “Over the years we have developed in this chair current topics with great impact on society, not only at a national level, but also of global relevance and this is no exception. Human Rights must be part of our academic work, reflected both in our study programs and in our extension programs,” she added Cvitanic.

During his presentation, the panelist Enrique Azúa sought to bring those present closer to a definition of what we understand today about human rights, pointing out that the 2010 report of the INDH indicates that it is about the powers that people have to live free of arbitrary interventions by the State and to request the State to review certain actions designed to allow them to function in their lives. Specifically, the specialist stated that “when we talk about human rights, we are referring to a relationship between people and the State, where the State has two types of obligations: to refrain from intervening arbitrarily in the freedoms that are recognized for people and , on the other hand, must do things so that people enjoy their rights.”

Likewise, he expressed that human rights are currently a series of specific legal norms that recognize certain powers, define who are subjects of law, who have obligations and what these obligations are. Therefore, they can be demanded, sued and appealed to the judiciary in the case that is required, but they also constitute an ethical reference, where the dignity of people is involved. “Looking at society from human rights means looking at those discriminations that are present in society today and that have not yet received normative punishment, but that are there and force us to see it from an ethical point of view and that push us to look, as in a circle, for certain norms that allow us to protect people from certain discrimination.” 

He also argued that in a third dimension, the principles implicit in human rights, constitute an ideal that is sought and the reality that is recognized, where a line is drawn between the advances and challenges that we have been achieving. It is through them that the figure of society arises, as a claimant of these rights.

“Within a globalized society, it is the people, the civil society, who through their demands, struggles, resignations and actions, have been pushing for those rights of the people to be respected, probably the States would not advance as much if they people do not pressure to fulfill their obligations (...). This process is not exempt from criticism and controversy due to the relationship between universal development and local cultures. Sometimes there is tension between the international version of Human Rights and the version that the States have or certain cultural or local practices and what is demanded at a global level," said the professional, who added that this is why dialogue, debate, incorporation new points of view and promoting learning of the norms in force today, is essential to understand a topic so relevant to social coexistence.

Support from the university community

After the talk, both speakers highlighted the great attendance at the activity by teachers, students and the general public. In this regard, Enrique Azúa maintained that this talk is very important, “first of all, it inaugurates an action that lasts throughout the year; Second, it brings together a large number of people, which shows the interest that the topic is having today at the University of La Serena, since I have the experience of having come on other occasions and I am surprised and happy by the call , it seems to me that there is support from the university community for the awareness that this issue raises in various areas, which gives rise to more actions, therefore, it could be the beginning of a process of greater integration of this issue in the usual functions of the University, that is, in teaching, research and extension.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Humberto Henderson, pointed out that “this is an extraordinary demonstration, an initiative in which the impact it has had is noticeable due to the number of people there and when they invited us from the INDH to accompany them to the activity in La Serena. "This chair seemed to us an excellent opportunity to be able to communicate some messages about the importance of incorporating human rights issues in the curricula, plans and specific or general initiatives of the universities."

Workshops for academics

It should be noted that during the afternoon workshops were held for ULS academics, who are working on human rights issues and have demonstrated their interest over time. The representative of the INDH, Enrique Azúa, pointed out in this regard that “the workshops were about activities that the teachers themselves are interested in carrying out, this is as the Rector said, the review of some curricular frameworks for integration, others in research, others in the generation of courses, diplomas and master's degrees.”

The group plans to perform four concerts throughout the year.

Continuing with its activities for 2015, the University of La Serena Symphony Orchestra will begin this Thursday, April 16 at 20:00 p.m. at the Municipal Theater of Ovalle, and on Friday, April 17 at the same time at the Municipal Theater of La Serena, for its Chamber Concert Season with the presentation of the oboist José Luis Urquieta together with the String Orchestra, a group formed by some of the members of the orchestra.

This concert is the first of four that various groups of the orchestra will perform throughout the year, and will be divided into two parts. The first is titled “Aires of Latin America for Oboe and String Orchestra”, where the public will be able to appreciate all the talent of the Serenense oboist José Luis Urquieta (accompanied by the String Orchestra), who pointed out that this concert responds to “a trend that has been occurring regarding Latin American music for wind instruments, which is having a very great development, which is why two aspects can be distinguished: one, which is closer to folkloric, and another, more avant-garde. . 

Given the above, the program of this first part balances both tendencies: on the one hand a tonal work close to the national music of Brazil, such as the work “Concertino for Oboe and Strings” by the Brazilian composer Brenno Blauth and on the other, a clearly avant-garde work: “Noche de Mitos” (which is a premiere in Chile) by the Uruguayan/Paraguayan oboist and composer Gabriel Graziani, who in this work experiments and develops new sounds of the instrument as well as new composition techniques. For José Luis Urquieta, this is a particular experience since “in general, Latin American music that is made for the oboe is made to be performed in reduced chamber music ensembles or for the instrument alone, so playing two concertos for "This instrument, together with my string colleagues from the Universidad de La Serena Symphony Orchestra, is a privilege, in addition to having the confidence and security of achieving a result of excellent quality." 

In the second part of this concert, the String Orchestra will perform the “Saint Paul Suite” by the English composer Gustav Holst. This suite, written in 1912, would not be published until 1922, and was written in gratitude to St Paul's School for Girls in the United Kingdom where Holst was Head of Music. This suite is the most famous of the many pieces he wrote for the students of that school. Along with this, the work “Angelis” will be performed, by the regional composer and double bassist of the group, Andrés Carvajal. 

It should be noted that for the concert at the Ovalle Municipal Theater admission is free. For the concert in La Serena, tickets can be purchased at the Municipal Theater box office on the day of the concert, whose value for the general public is $3.000, and as usual, all schoolchildren and ULS students (with ID) can enter free of charge. For university students from other educational institutions and seniors, admission costs only $2.000.

Finally, it is important to mention that the University of La Serena Symphony Orchestra receives important support for its operation from the National Music Promotion Fund of the National Council of Culture and the Arts, from the ULS, and from the “Red de Amigos Orquesta Sinfónica Universidad de La Serena” where important regional and national companies are associated, as well as various media committed to the social, cultural and educational work of the Orchestra.

Source: OSULS Press

This activity aims to disseminate scientific collaboration actions between Chile and the US in various areas to face global challenges.

The Extension Directorate of the University of La Serena and the United States Embassy in Chile invite the university community of the ULS and other Higher Education institutions to the conference “Scientific Diplomacy: Chile-United States Collaboration to face global challenges ”, which will be dictated by the US Ambassador to Chile, Michael A. Hammer. The activity will take place on Monday, April 13, at 11:00 a.m., in the ULS Exhibition Hall, located at Benavente 950, La Serena.

This activity aims to disseminate scientific collaboration actions between Chile and the US in various areas to face global challenges.

It should be remembered that President Obama nominated Michael Hammer as United States Ambassador to Chile on June 24, 2013, and he was confirmed in the position by the US Senate on March 6, 2014.

Prior to his appointment, Ambassador Hammer served as US Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs at the Department of State, where he directed communications and press affairs from March 2012 to August 2013. 

Before heading the State Department's Office of Public Affairs, the Ambassador worked in the White House from January 2009 to January 2011, where he was Special Advisor to President Obama, Director of Press and Communications, and Spokesman of the Security Council. National. Previously, he worked in the White House as Vice-Spokesperson of the National Security Council, between 1999 and 2000, and as Director of Andean Affairs, between 2000 and 2001.

Ambassador Hammer is a career officer in the United States Foreign Service, where he joined the Diplomatic Corps in 1988. His assignments include Bolivia, Norway, Iceland and Denmark. In addition, he held other positions in the State Department, including work in the Operations Center and as Special Assistant to the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs. Throughout his career, Hammer has been honored with numerous awards, including the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Public Diplomacy.

In turn, the diplomat has a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, and master's degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and from the National War Academy in the National Defense University.

Ambassador Hammer lived during his childhood in Latin America, having resided in Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil.