Usually one would have to travel deep into the heart of South America to hear its rich folk music, but today those sounds were present in the Auditorium. The Elkey Trio, a South American folk music group, performed in a concert on campus today, Dec. 2, during fifth period.
The trio consists of Peruvian woodwind specialist and flutist Gonzalo Cortes, Peruvian charango and viola player Carlos Boltes, and Canadian guitarist Scott Hill. Their arsenal consisted of several native South American instruments including Andean pan pipes, and the charango, which is historically created from the body of an armadillo.
The group is named after the Elqui Valley, a popular wine region in northern Chile. To collect their folk music repertoire, they traveled directly to the origin point of the songs and transcribed them. The results were songs generally passed down through oral tradition, such as “Sipassy,” being played to an audience who would have perhaps never heard them otherwise. “I liked them not just because they were great musicians, but they were also great entertainers,” tenth-grader Tenzin Smith said, commenting on how the trio joked with the audience throughout its performance.
Not only does the group perform, but they also have given talks about folk music across North and South America, in countries including Ecuador, Brazil, Canada and Bolivia. In addition to folk music, the Elkey trio also performs classical music.
To see more of the Elkey Trio, watch a recital of South American folk and classical music, “Entre Mundos: Between Worlds,” at the Historic Asolo Theater Dec. 3-4. Teachers and students will receive a discount.