Nueva Canción Gala Osvaldo Torres and Silvia Balducci in Concert

Osvaldo Torres and Silvia Balducci in Concert
Thursday, November 3, 2016. 7:30pm.

Nueva Canción Gala. Chilean singer, composer and painter Osvaldo Torres returns to La Peña with Italian singer Silvia Balducci to present their latest musical collaboration. 

Inspired by the ancient and profound thought of the Aymara culture, Torres, together with Italian artist Silvia Balducci will perform a concert of original songs that traces the history of Latin America. The duo will present the most emblematic songs from their recording "MiMundoMinimoProfundo" My Minimum-Depth World, recorded in 2014 by the French label Aristote Productions. Balducci will also present her original interpretations of the most symbolic songs from the New Chilean Song. Their poetry, songs and original interpretations, invite the listener to delve into the intricate world of the self, be it urban or rural.

The founder of the popular Chilean musical ensemble Illapu, Torres is one of the most prolific artists to emerge from Chile during the early 70s. One of his most celebrated works, created in the heat of the repressive military dictatorship, was La Vigilia, a musical suite defiantly demanding the whereabouts of missing political prisoners. The work, which was performed almost clandestinely throughout Chile, was commissioned by the Association of Relatives of the Disappeared in 1977. Due to his work against the military apagón cultural "cultural blackout," Torres was imprisoned, harassed and blacklisted from commercial venues.

Musician, composer and activist Silvia Balducci was born and bred in Italy. Her most pivotal influence in her musical career was witnessing the Chilean group Inti-Illimani perform in Rome on September 11, 1973. That same night, the well known Chilean coup 'd'etat, led by Pinochet and supported by the US, took place. Inspired by this formative experience, Balducci formed Chiloe, a music group of Italian teenagers who are still playing today. With her musical arrangements and her own compositions, Balducci injects her own Italian musical flavors, creating a fresh and innovative sound. ##