'Hope' will be the feeling that will star in the symphonic-choral performances this end of the season.

A new excitement is approaching the Coquimbo Region to crown what has been a magnificent season of activities by the Universidad de La Serena Symphony Orchestra in the local territory. On this occasion and alluding to the month of December, the professional cast is preparing to bring the purest and most sincere feelings of 'Hope' to the hearts of each of the attendees, around a great presentation with symphonic-choral and pleasant works surprises to enjoy with the family.

The XI Concert of the year 2019 will be inspired by the well-known and legendary Christmas story by Charles Dickens (1843), which tells the story of an evil and unsociable man who changes his way of being during a cold Christmas due to the visit he receives. They make three ghosts and that the public will be able to see materialized in two high-level shows, with the fusion of different art disciplines on stage.

“We have made a journey through each of the emotions, finding new repertoires and we reached the end of this journey considering hope and looking for a link with other disciplines such as theater. In this case we will have the story by Charles Dickens, which we have put to music by selecting universal repertoire for our orchestra with outstanding works, managing to search for the emotions of each part of the story and that is what the public will be able to appreciate in the concerts," describes the concertmaster and Artistic Director of the regional ensemble, Leonardo Godoy Sepúlveda.

The evenings that will conclude the 2019 season will feature the participation of prominent regional artists. The conduct of these concerts will fall to the pianist, composer and academic of the Department of Music of the University of La Serena and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Fernando Guede Rodríguez, who will not only conduct the orchestra but also the guest choir for this edition Christmas: the Citizen Singers of Elqui, which is made up of the choirs of the Renacer Choral Ensemble, Ensamble Vocal En Armonía and Ensamble Cantus Florida. This program will also feature the participation of the actor and playwright Héctor Álvarez Godoy, who will narrate each of the episodes of this famous Christmas story.

“Without a doubt it is a very special concert; First, because it escapes the 'traditional' concept of a concert. What we have prepared is a dramatized and musicalized story based on Charles Dikens' text 'A Christmas Carol'; Actor Héctor Álvarez will participate in this production, who will play Mr. Scrooge. The story will be accompanied by the orchestra and the choir that will perform a varied ad hoc repertoire for the story. In this you can hear everything from popular Christmas carols to famous choral extracts from Handel and Bach, and other beautiful pieces by Saint-Säens, Debussy and Prokófiev have also been included. In short, a varied musical experience sustained by Dickens's story," explained the guest conductor, who will also make her debut on the podium.

“I feel it as a challenge because this will be my debut as an orchestral director and doing it together with the Symphony Orchestra, in the circumstances that our country is experiencing and especially on this date, without a doubt gives it a nuance that I hope will be unforgettable. I greatly appreciate this group because I know its history and the efforts of its members to place it in the place it has in the country today. I feel great joy to be able to contribute to carrying out this idea of ​​the artistic committee in this long-awaited Christmas concert,” said Guede.

The XI concert of the Regional Symphony Orchestra will make its premiere in the Performing Arts Room of the Palace Cultural Center (Aldunate #599) next Thursday, December 19 with a special noon performance; and then, on Friday the 20th of this month, replicate this same repertoire in the Cathedral of San Bartolomé de La Serena, in front of the city's Plaza de Armas (Los Carrera s/n, corner Gregorio Cordovez), at 16:00 p.m. hours. Both presentations are with free entry, without withdrawal of invitations until the total capacity of the venues.

It should be noted that this season is carried out thanks to the financing of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage, which since 2016 has been attached to the National Budget Glosa; in addition to the important support provided by the University of La Serena and the Directorate of Linkage with the Environment and Extension (DIVEULS); the Municipality of La Serena and its Department of Culture; and the Municipality of Coquimbo together with its Department of Culture and the Palace Cultural Center.

Written by Camila Pérez, University of La Serena Symphony Orchestra