Talk and chamber music concert will mark the third day of the Jorge Peña Hen Musical Festival

talk and concert

Both presentations will take place at the Music Department of the University of La Serena.

Along with prominent regional artists and two interesting free-access activities, the Mismar Cultural Association invites the entire community of the Coquimbo Region to enjoy the third day of the 'Jorge Peña Hen Musical Festival', an event financed through Funds from the Music 2018 of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage, which consists of various activities and that reflects extensive musicological research, rescue, transcription, editing and publication of a large part of the maestro's work as a composer, which was covered by the FNDR 2016 Competitive Culture Funds of the Regional Government of Coquimbo previously carried out by Mismar.

talk and concert2On this occasion, the third day of the long-awaited regional event will begin at noon on Thursday, October 18 with the talk called: 'The musical legacy of maestro Jorge Peña Hen', which will be given by the speakers Lina Barrientos Pacheco, musicologist and academic from the Department of Music of the University of La Serena, and Gonzalo Godoy Marín, administrative director of the Association. This talk is strongly focused on explaining the musical character of the work of maestro Jorge Peña Hen, its most relevant characteristics and compositions from a historical and academic point of view, along with disseminating the research that the Mismar Cultural Association has carried out in the development of the catalog of works by master Jorge Peña Hen. This activity will take place in the Fernando Rozas Room of the Jorge Peña Hen Experimental School of Music.

The programming continues at 19:00 p.m. with Concert No. 3: 'Chamber Music', with an attractive program that includes 'Two pieces for Wind Quintet', 'Three pieces for String Quartet', along with the 'Concertino for violin and strings', a work in which the young violinist Diego Ovalle Muñoz, a sixth grade student at the Jorge Peña Hen Experimental School of Music and an outstanding student of Professor Paulina Elgueta's violin chair, will perform as soloist.

Together with them, the 'Quartet Nº2' and the absolute premiere of the choral work 'Ave María' will be performed, all works composed by the great composer. The musical exhibition will be performed by three important ensembles from the region: 'El Quinteto de Vientos de La Serena' composed of Alevi Peña (bassoon), Leonardo Cuevas (oboe), Andrés Pallero (clarinet), Rodrigo López (traverse flute) and Gerson Pierotti (French horn). The ULS String Ensemble will also perform on stage, with performers Paulina Elgueta and Pamela Morales (violins), Polyana Brehmer (viola), Leonel Vásquez (violoncello), Andrés Carvajal (double bass). Finally, the musical evening will culminate with the Vocal Ensemble of the University of La Serena, directed by the outstanding national tenor Gonzalo Tomckowiack.

talk and concert3This concert will take place in the Mecesup Hall of the ULS Music Department, located on Larraín Alcalde s/n, between Los Jardines and Seminario.

In the words of the director of the choral corps of the house of higher studies, “it is a great honor to have been considered for this Festival, it makes us proud and motivates us as an ensemble, since we are aware of its magnitude and importance and we hope to live up to this great event.” Regarding the research carried out by the Mismar Cultural Association, reflected in 4 days of the Festival, Tomckowiack said that “we are very happy to discover this interesting work, it has been a challenge since some of the works are difficult and at the same time beautiful, like 'Ave María' which is a very interesting harmonic work and an absolute premiere (…). I believe that it is precisely us as the Department of Music, almost disciples, who are responsible for making known everything wonderful about Peña Hen's legacy, both his vision as a pedagogue and now as a musician-composer. “It would be interesting to be able to take it to other musical venues in the country.”

It should be noted that the 'Jorge Peña Hen Musical Festival: A tribute to the maestro' will last until Friday, October 19, with an artistic program consisting of a talk and a concert starring the Universidad de La Serena Symphony Orchestra and the ULS Vocal Ensemble, directed by guest conductor Miguel Ángel Castro Reveco.

This regional event aims to socialize and share with students, soloists and national and international learned groups, as well as with the community of the entire region, the lesser known facet of the creator of the first Children's Symphony Orchestra of Chile and Latin America, through musicological research carried out by the Mismar Cultural Association that included the recovery of 41 complete works, the preparation of its catalog of scores, transcription and musical edition of each of the maestro's invaluable pieces.