As part of the UNESCO Creative Cities, Bogotá will participate in the meeting el viaje de la percusión (the Percussion Journey) on June 21 through the exporting music from Poland YouTube channel.
Nicolas Montero, Secretary of Culture, Recreation and Sports, affirms that “the participation of Bogotá creators in this type of event is very important, since their talent is made visible abroad, because festivals are a window, and even more so now that we are going through a difficult time, With these types of activities we remember the possibilities arts offer us to celebrate life”.
The Percussion Journey is organized by the UNESCO Music Creative City Network, together with Kansas City, MO, USA – the only UNESCO Music Creative City in the United States. The Percussion Journey unites cities around the world through percussion – one of humanity’s oldest instruments –. This meeting commemorates the African diaspora around the world and demonstrates how the influence of African rhythms is present in several musical cultures around the planet.
“For the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra it is an honor to participate in this music festival and it represents not only the city, but also the country, with two large groups, the Youth Philharmonic Band and the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra made up of children and young people from the philharmonic centers and public schools in Bogotá, with a repertoire of Colombian music. The participation of the Orchestra continues to demonstrate why Bogoá and its contribution to culture are a more powerful force”, comments David Garcia, director of the Orchestra.
The 18 participating cities are: Adelaide (Australia), Ambon (Indonesia), Bogotá (Colombia), Chennai (India), Daegu (South Korea), Frutillar (Chile), Glasgow (Scotland), Hamamatsu City (Japan), Idanha-a-Nova (Portugal), Kansas City, MO (USA), Kazan (Russia), Kingston (Jamaica), Kirşehir (Turkey), Leiria (Portugal) with special guests from Guinea-Bissau, Lliria (Spain), Nassau (Bahamas), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) and Veszprem (Hungary).
From Bogotá, the Instituto Distrital de las Artes – Idartes, will introduce the Curupira band, and from the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra – OFB, the Bogotá Youth Philharmonic Band will attend, playing the San Pelayo songs, a traditional fandango from the Colombian Caribbean coast with West African influences from Senegal and Mozambique and Navidad que vuelve (Christmas coming back).
For her part, Catalina Valencia, director of the Instituto Distrital de las Artes – Idartes, affirms “These spaces of international circulation are essential to publicize our local talent, an opportunity to generate new spaces and opportunities for our artists abroad, in In the midst of this crisis caused by the pandemic, art today more than ever becomes a fundamental part of our lives, its resilience is our inspiration”.