The 34th edition of the Luis A. Calvo Colombian Music Festival, organized by the Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS), began with three great events full of joy, expression, indigenous sounds and cultural tradition.
The initial activity took place in the Aula Máxima of Mechanical Engineering, where the official launching of the UIS National Colombian Music Composition Award was held, in addition to the discussion “Music as a reflection of the territory vs. ancestral knowledge and musical creation”.
“This festival is an institutional event created by the UIS in honor of Maestro Luis A. Calvo, with the purpose of commemorating and exalting Colombian rhythms and compositions, inviting the community to participate, learn and enjoy our music,” said Juliana Costo Preciado, UIS cultural director.
Later, the Plazoleta de la Dirección Cultural vibrated with the rhythm, flavor and joy of the concert Ecos del Sur, performed by the group Música y Danzas Macondo UIS. Their show took the audience on a sonorous journey through the waters, jungles and communities of the Colombian Pacific, where music emerges as a living reflection of the territory and expression of a collective memory woven between biodiversity and culture.
The opening day closed with a flourish: the Estudiantina de la Montaña Santandereana dazzled in the Luis A. Calvo auditorium with the gala concert Entre cuerdas y montañas: sonidos de madera y memoria (Between strings and mountains: sounds of wood and memory). The audience felt the richness and vitality of the traditional plucked string music of the Colombian Andes. Under the direction of maestro Milton Noel Sanguino Pallares, the group presented a wide repertoire that intertwines memory, identity and musical innovation of the two Santanderes.
Today, the Festival’s varied program continues at the Jorge Zalamea auditorium, where, starting at 4:00 p.m., the discussion “Paren la bulla”: the drum rhythms of La Perla will take place. This space will address the process of creation and staging of La Perla, a percussive-vocal trio from Bogota inspired by the peasant music of the Caribbean.
Then, at 5:30 p.m., the group Expresión Musical UIS will offer an instrumental concert in the plaza of the Cultural Directorate, transporting attendees to the Andean landscapes through various formats of string and wind instruments.
Finally, at 7:00 p.m., the trio La Perla will return to the stage with a gala concert in the Luis A. Calvo Auditorium, performing a wide repertoire that includes well-known songs such as Paren la bulla, Bruja and Guayabo.
Admission to all events of this edition of the Luis A. Calvo Colombian Music Festival is free of charge.
