Nearly 2 thousand people, of all ages, were part of the expected repertoire of the ULS professional orchestra.

With a significant and exciting concert aimed at the families of the Coquimbo Region, the University of La Serena Symphony Orchestra starred, in the heart of the regional capital, in its last program of the 2018 season. It was the 'Christmas of Cultures' concert. ', which had the valuable support of the youth voices of the U. de La Serena Choral Ensemble, the extraordinary talent of the tenor Gonzalo Tomckowiack and the soprano Camila Gallardo and the mastery of the actresses Claudia Hernández and Rocío Flores.

This year's proposal considered an attractive Christmas story, which rescued the true meaning of these holidays: the affection and encounter with loved ones, the joy and the long-awaited welcome of the baby Jesus; moving away from consumerism and excessive purchases that increase considerably around this time.

In the words of the playwright, the story “recounted on stage a trip through the countries of the world (…). Naturally, since it was a family concert, the story was oriented more towards children, towards magic, towards the message that gifts are not the only important thing, because everything is distorted these days; values, people become desperate with consumption at Christmas, and everyone who cannot consume also suffers a lot, and this concert was a contribution to living a different Christmas," commented Claudia Hernández.

Nearly 2 people filled the Cathedral of La Serena to experience this magical night of music and theater, an instance in which the Archbishop of La Serena, René Rebolledo, also gave his impression: “I congratulate the University of La Serena Symphony Orchestra for this initiative. The turnout was extraordinary and I appreciated that the Cathedral temple was packed with attendees. The program and the way it was offered was also very creative. It helped us all get into the typical Christmas atmosphere, just as it is experienced in other latitudes and in our country. “I value the concert as a magnificent instance of preparation for the spirit that must reign in these days: joy, solidarity and preparation for the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world,” he stated.

Those who most enjoyed this artistic fusion and the sounds of the world were the youngest members of the house. For Joaquín Zepeda Araya, 11 years old, the concert was wonderful: “I really enjoyed listening to Christmas carols from different parts of the world, and the sound of the instruments sounded very powerful. I also really liked that in each of the carols there was a different story about Christmas,” he said excitedly.

In the case of Ana María Fernández, a regular attendee of the symphony orchestra's programming, this concert “was fantastic, as were all the concerts they give throughout the year. In particular, this Christmas repertoire is so anticipated by everyone that having the possibility of seeing them alongside other great artists from the region, such as soprano and actresses, is truly a privilege and we should feel extremely proud to have such great artists. level in our city.”

For his part, Mauricio Miranda, a resident of Ovalle, indicated that this concert deeply captivated him, “I found it very interesting, really very beautiful because it comes out of everything that one is used to seeing. They merged different artistic disciplines and that made it even more striking; The orchestra, the choir, the soloists were great, and the introduction they gave to the children through the story was a very nice contribution.”

The musical journey was under the direction of another prominent regional artist, maestro Rodrigo Tapia, who was also responsible for making the arrangements for each of the Christmas pieces. From her musical perception, the conductor maintained that “we offered a very complete proposal for the listeners, since we played songs and carols from all over the world, many of them never heard before; So a very interesting program was put together that travels through different rhythms, forms and characters, and that makes it quite interesting for everyone and no one was left indifferent. Furthermore, when it is tied together by a beautiful Christmas story, it makes for a perfect hour and a half program.”

With this free repertoire aimed at the whole family, the ensemble belonging to the Network of Professional Regional Orchestras of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage closes a fruitful and colossal 2018 season, called 'The Symphony of Cultures' , which gave rise to an important list of guest directors and soloists, of great prestige nationally and internationally, who gave great shows.

Each of the presentations in 2018 were possible thanks to the valuable support and financing of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage, subject to the National Budget Glosa since 2016; the collaboration of the University of La Serena and the Illustrious Municipality of La Serena, through its Department of Culture and the Municipal Theater.

However, the music does not stop, since the professional orchestra is fine-tuning all the preparations to offer the community and tourists who arrive during the summer season to the Estrella Region, the XXXIV version of the La Serena Musical Encounters (of January 3 to 19), which includes an attractive and unmissable schedule of activities ranging from choral conducting courses, to training and academic classes, and concerts with ensembles and orchestras.

Source: Press Symphony Orchestra University of La Serena

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