Patagonian Saxophonists' Meetings
- Feb 21
- 3 min read
The first Patagonian Saxophonist Encounters began back in 2013, after a series of events with different activities for the musicians of the city of Villa Regina, Río Negro, Argentina. In a meeting with Daniel Vertúa, a friend and at that time director of the municipal band, we proposed to hold a saxophonist encounter, a different proposal from those we had been having up to that time. That is how the project was presented to the cultural director of the time (Ana Bianchi) and she believed that this event would give growth to her community.
In this way, a national artist was invited to give master classes and perform a shared concert with local artists.
The first 3 meetings took place in that location, and each one featured the following artists:
Images from the event.
Fernando Lerman was the teacher and musician in charge of organizing the event.
Given the success of the first meeting, the regional government decided to continue the event in 2014. While we were recruiting new teachers, we received a wonderful surprise: a Colombian saxophone quartet wanted to visit our region and share their music.
Thanks to the good management of the cultural department, we were able to have the Lunazul quartet from La Ceja, Antioquia, Colombia delight us with their good music and their impeccable interpretation of universal Latin music.
But not only that, we also expanded the possibility of having classes taught by teachers residing in the region, so much so that Professor Sergio López from Neuquén, Neuquén, Argentina and Eduardo Prado Morillo from General Roca, Rio Negro, Argentina also contributed to this meeting.
Images from the concerts.
Images from the seminars and essays
Lunazul Saxophone Quartet:
Sergio Lopez:
Eduardo Prado Morillo:
By the 3rd Meeting, the cultural department decided to finance the event with its own resources and hired Mauricio Agüero, from Mendoza, who had recently arrived from the USA with the highest diploma for an Argentinian, the title of Doctor of Saxophone.
For that meeting there was an opening to seminars related to research and in that way the Patagonian University Institute of Arts contributed with two of its researchers.
The organization of this 3rd Gathering was more under control until a group of participants from San Martín de los Andes appeared out of nowhere (some had participated in the 2nd Gathering to learn and meet people), demonstrating a different way of having fun, playing, learning, and connecting with everyone from colleagues to places. The rewarding aspect of these events lies in these instances where musicians find a space for communication and exploration, for showcasing their talent, sharing their work, but also for getting to know and learn from others—a beautiful exchange of energy that flows among the different participants in these spaces.
Images from the concerts.
Mauricio Agüero:
Images from the seminars and essays
A celebration was anticipated for 2016; the 4th Gathering held great promise. However, life's circumstances prevented it from taking place that year. This setback, a blow to the expectations of those who had come to see the event as a time for travel, pleasure, enjoyment of music, and meeting new people, was the catalyst for leaving the town where it was held and embarking on a journey through Patagonia. The year was lost, but preparations were made for a new adventure.
So much so that the town of Lago Puelo, Chubut adopts the meeting through the authorities of ISFDA N°814 , who assume the responsibility of organization in the town with Viviana Constinanzo as coordinator of vocational training and Cecilia Bellani student of the saxophone teaching career, being able to carry it out during the days 2, 3 and 4 of November 2017.
Thus, the 4th Meeting is held with the objective of promoting the artists, teachers and all the actors surrounding this instrument in the town and surrounding areas.
Images from the seminars and essays
Ensembles that participated.
In 2018, San Martín and Junín de los Andes are preparing to host the 5th Patagonian Saxophonists' Meeting. More news coming soon...
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