International Contemporary Music Festival will celebrate its 23 years of life

With the return of the National Symphony Orchestra of Chile to the closing day of the meeting, after four years of absence, the event organized by the Department of Music of the University of Chile will pay tribute to Jorge Peña Hen, thus joining the commemorations of the 50 years of the coup d'état. The 2023 edition of the festival will take place between September 25 and 30.

On its 23rd anniversary, the International Contemporary Music Festival of the University of Chile will offer a diverse edition strongly linked to the national context. On this occasion, the meeting will honor Jorge Peña Hen, composer and promoter of children's and youth orchestras in Chile, who was murdered by the Caravan of Death in 1973. His enormous legacy as a trainer of the system of orchestras for children and youth sometimes makes his work as a composer invisible and it is precisely that aspect that will be exhibited in two days with the interpretation of the works Suite for string orchestra, by the Latin American Orchestra of Chile (Monday, September 25) and Two fugues for quartet of strings, by the Chamber Ensemble of the University of O'Higgins (Thursday, September 28).

“Our Festival has always paid tribute to our great national creators and this time it is only fair to do so with Jorge Peña Hen. He will accompany us with his music after 50 years of his infamous departure. Along with him, there will be established and young composers in a festival of current music,” commented Luis Orlandini, artistic director of the Festival, regarding one of the focuses of the festival in 2023.

As is the tradition of this meeting, on this occasion there will also be space for new composers, such as Ingrid Saldaña, a student of the Department of Music recently awarded in the Urrutia Blondel Composition Contest, who will present Telephone kill the performing live (Monday, September 25) and Iván Tapia, from whom we will hear De otros Aves, a work for flute and electronics (Tuesday, September 26).

In this edition, you will also be able to hear works by composers such as Eleonora Coloma, who will premiere From One to Another, performed by the Illawara Flute Orchestra (Monday, September 25). During this day, the same cast will perform the plays La voliére du Puy, by Sophie Defeutrelle, and Umoja, by Valerie Coleman. Meanwhile, on Thursday, September 28, you will be able to see Eternal Return, by María Valenzuela.

Return of the National Symphony Orchestra

One of the novelties of this edition of the Festival is the return to the closing day of the National Symphony Orchestra of Chile. The prestigious group will close the meeting and, for the first time, this concert will be held twice: on September 29 and 30, at 7:00 p.m., at the Artistic and Cultural Extension Center of the University of Chile (Providencia 43 ).

“Music written in large format is a tradition that unites us to the old Chilean Music Festivals of the 20th century and we have returned to this path showing works by important national creators. In this way, we can cover the wide spectrum of music in its different formats, from a soloist to a large orchestra,” says Professor Orlandini.

During the closing days, the works Shadow of a Night, by Ignacio Escobar, the winning piece of the Symphonic Works Competition, will be performed; Tramas, by the Chilean composer Miguel Letelier; Democratic Symphony, by Nino García with soloists Romilio Orellana (guitar) and Beatrice Berthold (piano); and The Caravan, by Sebastián Errázuriz. All these works will be under the direction of Pablo Carrasco.

The 23rd International Contemporary Music Festival will take place between September 25 and 30. Between September 25 and 28, the conference will take place in the Isidora Zegers Room (Company 1264, Santiago) and admission is free. Meanwhile, the closing days will be held at the Universidad de Chile Theater (Providencia 43) and tickets have a value ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.