The long-awaited event included daytime and evening presentations in chamber music format, choral repertoire and other innovative stage proposals.

For five successful days, music took over the regional capital to offer residents and tourists free concerts in various formats and styles. The initiative framed in the thirty-third version of the Summer Musical Meetings had the participation of eight national groups, and was marked by two important milestones: the emotional farewell of maestro Hugo Domínguez Cruzat, who said goodbye to the stage after being uninterruptedly 30 years old under the baton of the Jorge Peña Hen Youth Symphony Orchestra; and finally, the colossal closing starring the University of La Serena Symphony Orchestra together with the ULS Symphony Choir and talented soloists, who thrilled the audience with the interpretation of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

After the last concert directed by Maestro Domínguez, the Academic Vice-Rector of the University of La Serena, Dr. Jorge Catalán Ahumada, indicated that the “Musical Encounters are the exceptional framework for an also exceptional musical career, of a great academic of the University from La Serena such as Hugo Domínguez. He leaves a great legacy, and here there are many people who one day were a disciple of this great teacher," adding that this concert marked "a wonderful day for the region, for our house of studies and, why not say it, for the country." , being an act of high significance.”

The traditional local event also featured chamber music presentations held at the Centenario Theater, where attendees could enjoy the performance of Santiago Kurchnir and Ska Cuturrufo Pierotic, with 'TA! Another percussion', 'Manuel Macías and the Guitar Ensemble of the Music Department of the University of La Serena', and the regional group 'D' Entraña Cantera', who sought to link themselves with the Orphic heritage, through the ancient link between poetry, singing and spirituality.

For the duo of percussionists from Buenos Aires and La Serena respectively, “the experience of playing at these summer Musical Meetings was very good. We felt very well received with the proposal that we had proposed, where we tried to show a very broad spectrum of percussion; We also presented it in our home, the Centenario Theater, and that plus the warmth of the people made us feel super comfortable," adding that these initiatives are very important for cities and their inhabitants, since "it is necessary to federalize and democratize access to the culture, that it is good, of quality and different, and not belittle if people come from more remote places and think that they are not going to understand or they are not going to like it, it is the other way around. Rather, people come to these places because they are looking for new things,” said Santiago Kurchnir.

For his part, Gabriel Gálvez, composer and singer of the group 'D' Entraña Cantera', expressed feeling “happy about this presentation, apparently for people this was significant and that gives us a lot of joy in the sense that perhaps, in the In the best of cases, one can reflect the soul of people, and that is what one aspires to in the deepest part," adding that the objective of the group is "to take the musical experience back to a state prior to the separation of the music with poetry, that is the origin of music. What moves us is to go back to that priority, to that state of unification around a spiritual experience.”

Later, during the nights, the Municipal Theater of La Serena hosted thousands of people who vibrated with the different programs of this version, which included a repertoire inspired by classic German baroque masters such as GP Telemann, JS Bach and G. F. Händel, performed by the Baroque Orchestra 'La Extravagante'; the concert offered by the 'University Orchestra' of the University of La Serena with a program called 'Symphonic Dances of the World', which included pieces such as: 'Sensemayá' by Silvestre Revueltas, 'Danzón N° 2' by Arturo Márquez, 'Danzas Polovetsianas' from the opera "Prince Igor" by Alexander Borodin and the well-known dances from the suite 'Estancia' by the Argentine Alberto Ginastera. In addition, the La Serena Chamber Choir presented its adaptations for female and male choirs, infused with 'Music and Poetry' of Chilean and Latin American format.

Beethovenian Closure

As a finishing touch to the thirty-third version of the summer Musical Meetings, the culmination of the event was in the hands of the ensemble belonging to the Network of Professional Regional Orchestras of the National Council of Culture and the Arts, who under the baton of the Chilean director guest, José Luis Domínguez Mondragón, and together with the dazzling voices of the ULS Symphonic Choir - prepared by the outstanding Chilean tenor and academic of the Music Department of the University of La Serena, Gonzalo Tomckowiack - and the guest soloists: Patricia Cifuentes (soprano) , Homero Pérez (baritone), Evelyn Ramírez and Gonzalo Tomckowiack himself, gave a colossal concert at the Cathedral of La Serena.

The presentation was marked by the figure of Ludwig van Beethoven and his magnanimous 'Ninth Symphony in D Minor, Op.125', an instance that also concluded the laborious 2017 Season of the regional ensemble, presenting the nine symphonies of the German composer and opening with success a challenging and inclusive 2018 Season, whose focus goes hand in hand with the words of human approach, brotherhood and peace that such a majestic work expresses.

For the national director residing in the United States, this concert “was very exciting, because it had been a long time since I had come to La Serena, my hometown, and when the orchestra invited me, I was able to quickly fix my schedule and come and not miss this great concert for any reason", adding that "I have the memory of the Musical Meetings as a very special moment, where several concerts were held and shared with orchestras from Santiago and foreign musicians, after a while they stopped doing them, and the fact that they have taken up this tradition seems really important to me. Furthermore, the Universidad de La Serena Symphony Orchestra is playing very well and they have a very nice project, with a tremendous future, and I am delighted to have been part of this; above all, for this great work by Beethoven, which was accompanied by a choral symphony and presented in the Cathedral of La Serena, a place with spectacular acoustics, this was simply the pinnacle of the symphonic repertoire,” Domínguez said excitedly.

The need for a Regional Theater

The success and the incredible audience reached in each of the presentations, opened the debate of having an adequate venue that can house not only music, but all the artistic expressions present in the territory. An initiative that has been gaining strength over time and has become more necessary with the massive consumption of cultural activities.

For Isabel Correa, attendee of the chamber concerts at the Teatro Centenario, holding these types of events, free of charge and quality, “allows us to promote these spaces and, in the process, help increase the audience that enjoys this type of event.” initiatives. With this, we can validate the urgent construction of a Regional Theater. Some authorities do not see it as a priority, but it is super important to be able to form audiences and generate ideal spaces to consume culture.”

Regarding this same issue, Humberto González, a resident of the region, added that “we must always take into consideration that the decisions made by the authorities have to do with many guidelines and it seems to me that they are forgetting one, which is the culture theme. It cannot be that a city like La Serena, which for so many years has been the cradle of great musicians, especially symphonic musicians, lacks a venue in keeping with its history, its importance and the regional culture. It seems to me that we are in the right position as a city regarding that,” he expressed.

It should be noted that the summer Musical Encounters was a free intervention available to the public, organized by the Department of Music of the University of La Serena and the La Serena Regional Symphony Orchestra Foundation; and sponsored by the Rectorate of the ULS and the National Council of Culture and the Arts (CNCA), through the Cultural Donations Law.

After performing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the La Serena University Symphony Orchestra inaugurated its interesting 2018 Season. A programming without borders that seeks to rescue multiculturalism through the music of great teachers and performers.

Source: La Serena University Symphony Orchestra

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