Visiting Musicians to Present Sounds of Chile Oct. 4

A group of musicians visiting the University of Pittsburgh will offer a tribute to Chile Oct. 4, presenting a concert highlighting South American works alongside original compositions inspired by the roots music of Chile and the Andes.

“Tributo a Chile,” a continuing collaboration between musicians Rodrigo Invernizzi, Orion Morales, Ella Ponce, and Daniel Fuenzalida, will conclude a weeklong residency of the four South American performers. Playing on piano, vibraphone, bass, guitar, and percussion, they will be joined onstage by guest musicians Emily Pinkerton and José Puentes of Pittsburgh and Boston-based Jorge Pérez-Albela.

The artists were first brought together as part of a showcase of Chilean composers during the 2013 Panama Jazz Festival in January. Though their musical backgrounds differ—ranging from folk and jazz to classical—the musicians worked with jazz composer and saxophonist Patricia Zárate on a project called “Tributo a Chile.” The performance was a resounding success, and the performers resolved to work together again. 

The musicians’ residency at Pitt will include workshops and visits to Pitt music classes throughout the week of Sept. 30 to Oct. 4. The concluding concert will present repertoire from the Panama Jazz Festival as well as a number of new pieces, including two that have never before been performed onstage. The free concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4, Bellefield Hall Auditorium, 315 S. Bellefield Ave., Oakland. 

Pianist and composer Orion Morales was awarded the 2011 Luis Advis prize, one of the highest awards for composition in Chile. Guitarist and composer Rodrigo Invernizzi has played with leading songwriters and folk musicians in Chile and, as a sound engineer specializing in audio restoration, has worked extensively with the traditional culture archives of the Chilean National Library. Ella Ponce, percussionist and composer, plays with the National Symphony of Panama and tours with her chamber ensemble, Mixturas, which combines jazz, classical music, and roots music of the Americas. A member of the Concepción Symphonic Orchestra, bassist Daniel Fuenzalida also plays with cutting-edge folk and fusion groups.  

Singer, songwriter, and ethnomusicologist Emily Pinkerton, a lecturer in ethnomusicology in Pitt’s Department of Music, has performed Chilean music for almost two decades. Bassist José Puentes, originally from Venezuela and now living in Pittsburgh, tours regularly with renowned folk violinist Eddy Marcano. Percussionist Jorge Pérez-Albela specializes in Afro-Peruvian and jazz music and has toured widely with a number of famed South American musicians.

The residency and concert have been co-organized by Pitt’s Department of Music and Center for Latin American Studies, as well as Chatham University’s Global Focus Year of Chile and the National Council of Culture and the Arts in Chile. Travel expenses for the performers have been provided by the Chilean National Culture and Arts Council. For more information, contact Emily Pinkerton at pinkertonej@yahoo.com or 412-999-3443.