Considered the university’s premier cultural venue and one of the most important in Santander, the Luis A. Calvo Auditorium has become a familiar and regular venue for the residents of Bucaramanga.
This auditorium was designed by architects Quijano and De Irisarri, a group of architects from Bogotá in the late 1970s. Construction began on 8 May 1978, built by architect Manuel Enrique González Puyana, and opened on 7 May 1982 as a multi-purpose auditorium with a capacity of 989 seats on two levels: 326 seats in the stalls and 663 seats in the balconies.
In 1985, the roof was restructured by the same architect, González Puyana, under the supervision of the Physical Plant Division. Over time, this building has become iconic not only for the UIS, but also for the entire city of Bucaramanga, as it is one of the largest auditoriums we have, with a very significant capacity of nearly a thousand seats. But it is also iconic because of its location at the entrance to the university campus and because of its shape, which is completely different from the buildings of the time and even from those of today.
But also, from an architectural point of view, it represents “a new way in which UIS buildings began to express themselves. At first, UIS buildings were very white, with concrete shutters protecting the windows. Then, brick appeared in the Luis A. Calvo, Mamitza Bayer, and Camilo Torres buildings,” says architect and professor Alejandro Ordóñez Ortiz.
He adds: “The appearance of exposed brick has a lot to do with a movement that was also coming into Bogotá, with Fernando Martínez Sanabria and Rogelio Salmona, for example, in the Torres del Parque or the Casa Calderón, where brick began to humanize Modern Architecture as a more tactile material, more ours, more human, which gives warmth to architectural works and, let’s say, communicates with users in a different way,” explains Ordóñez Ortiz.
Luis A. Calvo’s architecture also has nuances of architecture from other parts of the world that influenced Colombian architects. For example, in Luis A. Calvo’s work, we see references to the work of Alvar Aalto, a Finnish architect who used brick masterfully, with very pure volumes, and Luis A. Calvo has that aesthetic reference both on the exterior, with the use of brick, and on the interior, with the appropriate design and strategic use of wood for technical sound management, emphasizes Alejandro Ordóñez Ortiz.
In 2006, the auditorium was expanded with the construction of adjoining rooms that house five halls to support cultural groups: folk dances, the Macondo group, theatre, choir and tuna. In 2018, it was equipped with new furniture and sophisticated sound, video and streaming equipment.
Distinguished academics, intellectuals, musicians and artists from a wide range of scientific disciplines and artistic fields have graced this stage and its platform. The events held there attract thousands of spectators every year.
As a tribute to Luis Antonio Calvo, a notable composer from Santander and one of the most brilliant in the country, the Industrial University of Santander honored its greatest cultural venue with his name.
Luis Antonio Calvo
Maestro Luis A. Calvo (Gámbita, 1882 – Agua de Dios, 1945) is considered a prolific composer of dances, waltzes, bambucos, pasillos and religious music, and even popular music, although he focused heavily on works for piano, in which melody predominates. He also composed hymns and an operetta.
SCULPTURE: Luis A. Calvo (1882–1945) Author: Jorge Marín Vieco. The sculpture is the work of Marín Vieco, considered the only expressionist sculptor of significance in Colombia.
Some of his critics comment that, as an author, Calvo has an evident natural musical talent that draws on few external influences, other than the music that permeated his youth; but, in general, his works are authentic. The total number of compositions exceeds 160 works.
For music commentator Ellie Anne Duque, “Calvo’s romantic genius lies in the ease with which he produces one melody after another in the most dissimilar rhythmic contexts.
Each work is a secretly personalized musical poem. Calvo’s piano pieces are not descriptive, but evocative. They do not speak of events, but of feelings, and in the most direct way. Calvo’s life cannot be easily separated from his work. He experienced tragedy, exile and social contempt […]. The piano pieces are refined and elegant as a whole; the dances are delicate; the pasillos are ingenious; the intermezzi are suggestive, and the waltzes are charming. These are works conceived for an idealized society to which he was not allowed to belong. He dedicated his life to it.”
