Program and guests of the 11th Gonzalo Vidal International Latin American Music Festival 'América Viva'

Until March 17, the 11th Gonzalo Vidal International Latin American Music Festival 'América Viva' will be held, which in this new edition has more than 10 free events, including master classes and concerts at the Fundación Universitaria Bellas Artes.

This edition will be attended by a group of pianists who stand out for their contributions to the development and dissemination of Latin American music. Some members are the Costa Rican, Manuel Matarrita Venegas; the Guatemalan, Alfonso Hernández; and the Colombians, Andrés Gómez Bravo, John Alexander Moncada, Sandra Arboleda and Christian Restrepo.

Also, saxophonist, producer and clarinet teacher Jonny Pasos and the Colombian Youth Symphony Orchestra will be performed under the direction of maestro Carlos Erazo Charry, who is also a violinist.

The opening concert will be at the Teatro Comfama (Cl 48 # 43 - 87) at March 15 at 7:00 p.m. and the pianists Alfonso Hernández and Andrés Gómez Bravo will perform in a solo concert and four hands.

The following night, but at the Paranymph of the University of Antioquia (Cra 44 # 48 - 72), on March 16 7:00 p.m. will perform Manuel Matarrita and Christian Restrepo, in a concert for soloist and four hands.

Finally, the Festival will be closed at the Palacio de Bellas Artes on March 17 at 7:00 p.m. with a concert featuring pianists John Alexander Moncada, Alfonso Hernandez, Andrés Gómez Bravo, Christian Restrepo. Likewise, the Colombian Youth Symphony Orchestra and saxophonist Jonny Pasos complete the lineup

As for the academic component of the Festival, it will be held at the Palace of Fine Arts in the Beethoven Hall and at the JazzClub, and consists of three master classes and a conference.

Sala Beethoven, Palacio de Bellas Artes – Cl 52 # 42 - 08

- Chamber and piano music, by Andrés Gómez Bravo

(March 15, 10:00 a.m.)

- Piano, by Manuel Matarrita

(March 16, 10:00 a.m.)

- Composition and improvisation, by Christian Restrepo

(March 17, 8:00 a.m.)

Jazzy Club — Cl 54 # 45 - 11

- Chamber and piano music, by Alfonso Hernández

- Conferencia: 20th and 21st Century Guatemalan Piano Literature

(March 17, 10:30 a.m.)

It is worth mentioning that the festival, according to FUBA “aims to promote spaces for musical development in the interpretive, compositional and investigative spheres; in addition, to be a platform for artistic circulation with a cultural impact for the city and its inhabitants”.

And it is named after the Colombian poet and composer, Gonzalo Vidal, born in 1863 in the city of Popayán.

Manuel Matarrita Venegas (1972) is a Costa Rican pianist recognized in his country for his work as a soloist and accompanying pianist. He was recently selected to be part of the 2022 cohort of the Global Leaders Program, a professional certification in Social Entrepreneurship, Cultural Management and Educational Leadership.

In addition, he is a professor at the School of Musical Arts and director of the Postgraduate Degree in Arts at the University of Costa Rica, President of the WPTA-COSTA RICA (World Piano Teachers Association) and Founding Director of the Costa Rica Pianists Meeting, an annual event that has been held in San José since 2014.

He is the author of the book Popular Costa Rican songs in which he expresses his interest in the Costa Rican and Ibero-American repertoire. Likewise, in his repertoire are the record productions Una milpa y buenos güeyes, Confidencias, Evocación, Flores del corazón y Añoranzas and recently Portraitos with trumpeter Juan Carlos Meza.

Alfonso Hernández (1991), is a Guatemalan pianist who is currently completing his PhD in Music studies at the University of Maryland and who in his dissertation project explores Guatemalan piano literature of the 20th and 21st centuries.

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