Juilliard415 in Bolivia

In April, Juilliard415 musicians took part in the 14th biennial Festival Internacional de Música Renacentista y Barroca Americana Misiones de Chiquitos, an early music festival that takes place at three missions near Santa Cruz, Bolivia. 

This spring, on May 18, Robert Mealy will direct Juilliard415 and the Juilliard Community Chorus in a tour-inspired concert called Corelli in Chiquitos: Music From the Missions.

By Jimena Burga Lopera
This festival offers historical performance groups a chance to share their music and art with what is, in my opinion, the best music audience in the world. The Santa Cruz missions are a very special place for those who love baroque music.

The reason is that here, baroque music doesn’t represent the past, it lives and transforms every day; it’s the music of the present and it belongs to the people of the town. In every concert we performed, we had supportive and extremely enthusiastic audiences. One of my exciting memories from the trip is seeing a long line of people around the block waiting to enter for our first concert.

Why does this early music festival take place in Bolivia? When the Jesuits came from Spain to Latin America in 1572, they brought their culture and traditions, such as baroque music practice, to what they called the New Spain. Even after the Jesuits were expelled from the continent, about two centuries later, this music remained an important part of the culture. Many composers we still admire, such as Domenico Zipoli, spent part of their lives there. Today, although the electricity frequently fails in many of the missions and the roads to get there aren’t well made, baroque music education and practice remains a priority for the community.

The missions—each a three or more hours’ drive from Santa Cruz—all have beautiful churches where we performed with the magnificent local Urubichá choir. The repertoire included Vivaldi concertos, a Handel suite and concerto grosso, and music that was copied and performed there during the 17th and 18th centuries: a Sonata Chiquitana, Zipoli’s Beatus Vir, and Basani’s Missa San Javier. As an encore, we were lucky to perform two chovenas, traditional Bolivian dances.

As a Peruvian violinist, I feel it is very important to share my culture through music-making. As a Juilliard student, I feel unlimited support and care not only in my education but also for my dream of expanding the knowledge and appreciation of my culture’s music. I’m incredibly grateful to the department for giving us the opportunity to go to Bolivia and perform in this magical and important festival. Along with Robert Mealy, director of historical performance, my dear Juilliard 415 colleagues, and the Urubichá choir, I had a very special week full of beautiful baroque music, cultural exchange, and many memories that I will always cherish.

Jimena Burga Lopera is a second-year historical performance violinist