For five days, La Serena will be the scene of a sublime contest that mixes music, knowledge and talent of great exhibitors and guest musicians.

Continuing with its ambitious and colossal programming inspired by the great composers of the world, through the 'Symphony of Cultures', the ensemble belonging to the Network of Professional Regional Orchestras of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage is already preparing to offer the community of the conurbation and its surroundings, its new musical proposal of the year 2018: the IX Seasonal Concert, which will put the finishing touch to a busy week of activities and sounds as part of the XV MUSICAHORA Festival.

The aforementioned symphonic evening is projected along the same path as the previous presentations, accompanied by outstanding guest musicians. On this occasion, the day will be led by the acclaimed Chilean teacher Helmuth Reichel Silva. Praised for his deep musicality and inspiring temperament, this restless conductor positions himself as one of the most interesting and versatile young teachers in South America. His success in the prestigious 2015 Besançon International Competition, where he was a finalist, brought him to the attention of the international art world, receiving invitations to work with orchestras in Europe, South America and Asia. In addition, Reichel Silva is the winner of the 2017 Award from the Chilean Art Critics Circle for his concerts with the National Symphony Orchestra of Chile.

For this sublime presentation, Helmuth will leave the city of Bamberg in Europe, where he currently resides, to return again to the commune of La Serena and work, after 4 years, with the region's professional orchestra: “I am very happy to return to come to this city after so many years. I remember that the first time I worked with this orchestra was in 2012; Then I came in 2014, and since then we wanted to look for a third opportunity to come to work and it couldn't happen due to time reasons; so this concert will be a very nice reunion,” commented the director who is triumphing in Germany.

Another of the great artists invited to close the MUSICAHORA Festival is the concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra of Chile, Alberto Dourthé Castrillón. The audacious musician has a vast musical career and training with emblematic teachers, such as Jaime de la Jara, Fernando Ansaldi and his father, Alberto Dourthé Abbé. Subsequently, he continued his training in Europe at the Luxembourg Conservatory, where he obtained the final diploma of higher studies in violin and chamber music; In addition, he is the winner of the first prize in violin with maestro Philippe Koch at the Royal Conservatory of Mons in Belgium and, in parallel, he continues to perfect himself with the violinist Igor Ozim, professor at the Cologne Conservatory, Germany. Dourthé Castrillón has been nominated for the APES and Altazor awards, and in 2002 he was awarded by his colleagues as the most outstanding professional of the National Symphony Orchestra of Chile.

During his career, Alberto Dourthé has also participated as a soloist with countless national and foreign orchestras. On this occasion and after 20 years without making a musical visit to the colonial city, the violinist will debut at the Municipal Theater: “it is always very nice to meet this orchestra again, here I have some former colleagues, friends and even former students, like the concertmaster of the Universidad de La Serena Symphony Orchestra and Helmuth Reichel, who graduated with me from the University of Chile, then went to Germany and made his career as a violinist and, later, as a conductor, which is the role he will now fulfill with we. Today, Helmuth is a tremendous conductor, very recognized nationally and also in Germany and that makes me very proud," said the musician, adding that his ties with the La Serena regional orchestra also extend "with other students who They studied in my area at the Modern School, and even former professors who worked at the Conservatory when they were assistants; So, there are many people that I am going to see again and that, on the one hand, is very nice for me; and, on the other hand, I have the obligation to do the best possible.”

XV MUSICAHORA Festival: Opening borders

With a varied and extensive artistic program in La Serena (from November 19 to 23), the MUSICAHORA Festival is positioned as one of the great regional events. His imprint and artistic strengthening has led to the realization of the XV version, which has multiple concerts and talks that are free and open to the public, with the purpose of responding to the educational and reflective commitment around music, contributing to the local community learn about the most current forms of musical expression and stimulate the formation of groups of listeners interested in discovering and delving deeper into this art.

In the words of the Artistic Director of the MUSICAHORA Festival and ULS academic, Esteban Correa Astudillo, carrying out this fifteenth version “is very significant because carrying out this contest is not an easy task, logistically it requires a lot of work, coordination, preparation and organization, but all in pursuit of something very positive, which is the possibility that as the Department of Music of the University of La Serena and by extension as a community of this city, we can be up to date with what is the musical creation of our time and that refers to a tradition that is quite long; That is, it is almost 600 years old, if we go back to the first creations that were made within what is modernity,” emphasized the composer from Serena.

During these five days of musical exchange, the Festival will have the participation of "musicians from other destinations in the country and also composers of various nationalities, especially Latin Americans, but also Europeans." Regarding the programming and the valuable collaboration they have with the University of La Serena Symphony Orchestra, Correa Astudillo explained that “having an orchestra playing contemporary repertoire is not easy, because most ensembles in the country or abroad concentrate their repertoire in rather old music, from the XNUMXth century, and they dedicate few concerts to current music. In fact, it is something that characterizes our regional orchestra and this Festival takes advantage of it to strengthen itself and for us it is a very important participation, because it also gives a status to the event that places it as one of the most important in the country."

The repertoire for next Friday, November 23, includes the works 'Happy Bird's Day' (2017) by Alejandro Guarello, along with two works by maestro Gustavo Becerra-Schmidt, with the 'Chamber Concerto' (1970) and the 'Violin Concerto' ' (1952): “he was a fundamental composer in the history of traditional music written in Chile, he was very prolific and very eclectic, who developed important work both here and abroad, since he lived for many years in exile in Germany during the Dictatorship, but he never lost contact with Chilean music and musicians. He also received the National Art Prize, mention Music (1971); So for us it is very significant and it is appropriate to pay tribute to his figure,” the Artistic Director explained.

Those who wish to be part of this unmissable closing concert of the MUSICAHORA Festival, which will take place at the Municipal Theater of La Serena at 20:00 p.m., 170 invitations for free withdrawal have been available: general public and older adults will be able to 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 Municipal Theater from La Serena (Benavente #580). While school students and students from the University of La Serena may 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 students and students from the University of La Serena presenting your credential.

It should be noted that the realization of this 2018 Season, called 'The Symphony of Cultures', has the support and financing of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage, through the National Budget Glosa since 2016; in addition to the collaboration of the University of La Serena and the Illustrious Municipality of La Serena, through its Department of Culture and the Municipal Theater.

For more information about this amazing concert and the complete program of the XV MUSICAHORA Festival, just visit the portals www.musicahora.cl and www.sinfonicalaserena.cl, in addition to following the news on the Fanpage: 'Festival Musicahora' and 'Orquesta Sinfónica Universidad de La Serena', Twitter: @sinfonicaLS and Instagram: sinfonicalaserena.

Source: Press Symphony Orchestra University of La Serena