Music life in Guatemala

The recent-day Guatemala boasts a series of performing organizations like choirs, orchestras, opera troupes, chamber ensembles, dozens of rock band and soloists.

The Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional was established after the 1944 revolution, transforming from an earlier government group known as the Orquesta Progresista. For many years it was directed by the notable violinist Andres Archila. In the year 1964 a permanent conductor was directed Ricardo de Carmen, who was joined in the early 1970s by Jorge Sarmientos, another music director. In the year 1991, after both of them retired, the group decided to dispense with a permanent music director, working only with the guest artists. As a result, several of the group’s shows are conducted by some of its members, who are not necessarily trained in orchestral conducting. This group is endowed with subsidy from the government to cover salaries and expenses. This has yearly seasons, one of which includes the international guests; the other seasons are famous and moral in nature.

The Orquesta Sinfonica Juvenil was established in the year 1970 by Mauel Alvarado Coronado. This was a youth group, and its members were drawn from students at various schools in Guatemala City. Without financial support, it was forced to establish its activities with the aid of parents.

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The Orquesta Millennium is an independent organization established in the year 1993 by Dieter Lehhnoff and Cristina Alramira. Formerly known as Nueva Orquesta filamonica, it played its first shows seasons in the Auditorium of the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, as well as other places. It made its CD La Sociedad Filamonica in the year 1993, with premiere recordings of works by Guatemala classical composer Jose Eulalio Samayoa, Jose Escolastico Andrio and Benedicto Saenz, the younger. In the year 1998 it was appointed official group of the City of Guatemala, under the protection of the Major and City council, with the name of Orquesta Metropolitana. In the year 2004 it separated from the City government, and became independent again, and changed its name to Millennium Orchestra. The group has produced the highly successful CDs Valses inolvidables de Guatemala and Melodias inolvidables de Guatemala both of them with music by Guatemala composer.

The Orquesta Clasica was established in the early of 1990s. This is a private group, which plays at the Universidad Francisco Marroquin for their classical season. Since the death of its main leader in the year 2003, it has been conducted by guests. In September 2007 the university cancelled all of the remaining season shows and withdrew its support.

The Orquesta Sinfonica Jesus Castillo, a youth group, was founded in the year 1997, after a number of workshops conducted by an orchestra of Venezuelan instrumental teachers. Its members are students of the National Conservatory and other private schools. Its first musical director was Igor Sarmientos from 1977 to 2007. This group had the partial support of the government to cover their expenses until the year 2007.

Among the choirs active in Guatemala, the oldest organization is the Coro Nacional, established after the 1944 Revolution as Coro Guatemala. Over the years, it has brought several works by the European composers, as well as several songs and choral compositions. This is the only choral orchestra with government support, and offers several yearly shows seasons.

The university choirs are also very significant, and gather in yearly folk choral activity. There are also independent and amateur choral organizations. At the beginning of the new millennium, several choirs of the children and young have sprouted, not only in Guatemala City but also in town and rural places.

There are many chamber groups like wind quintets, brass, string quartets and group specializing in baroque performance practices. Among these, the Millennium group has raised much attention by their first performance of Renaissance. Baroque, and the classical works from colonial Guatemala, which they have presented at festival and shows in Europe and North and south America, since their first CD produced in the year 1992, yup to their twelfth CD Joyas del Barroco in Guatemala in the year 2006, they have restore many works of the 18^th century composers as Rafael Antionio Castellanos, Pedro Nolasco Estrada Aristondo and Manuel Jose de Quiros with mezzosprano Cristina Altamira performing villancicos and cantatas for various activities of the Catholic liturgical year.

Opera has also regained favour, with yearly performances at the local festivities in Guatemala City and Antigua Guatemala. Guatemalan Barotone Luis Giron May (1953) has been powerful in obtaining important sponsorships for the staging of several operas by Verdi and Puccini. Foreign opera companies also visit the country on different activities, performing in the magnificent national theatre in Guatemala City or on historical locations in Antigua Guatemala.