Bolivia Trip May Leave UW Musicians Breathless

From a University of Wyoming press release:

Members of the UW Symphony Orchestra (UWSO) will use spring break (March 10-18) to share Western classical music with South American youth during five performances in Bolivia.

UWSO's international spring break is the cumulating event for this year's cultural exchange between UW and Bolivia's musical community.

Stephan Barnhart, professor of percussion in UW's Department of Music, made the initial contact at Christmas when he joined UW violin professors Naomi Gjevre and Javier Pinell, a Bolivian native, in the country's capital, La Paz. Over UW's winter break, the trio conducted music clinics in El Alto, a community outside of La Paz. In January UW hosted a symphony performance featuring Bolivian musicians Fredy Cespedes, concertmaster of the Bolivian National Symphony Orchestra; Juan Jose Choque, percussionist and bass player for the Municipal Orchestra of El Alto; and Willy Flores, declamation teacher at the Municipal School of the Arts in El Alto.

Once again, it is the UWSO's turn to journey south. UWSO will perform three evening concerts, two school performances and work individually with the El Alto youth orchestra.

"Some of our players will give private lessons, we'll also conduct clinics. We are going to do everything we can to help these kids improve their music skills," Griffith says. "It's all an effort to shrink a cultural gap between Bolivians and Americans; we hope to build some bridges."

As part of the student outreach, more than 30 El Alto youths will be invited to perform a piece with the UW orchestra during the community concert there. Griffith says the El Alto musicians may be better conditioned for performing in the thin air.

"There is no way (for the UW students) to prepare for performing at a higher altitude. Being in great physical shape does not help; living at 12,000 feet does." Griffith says, noting that trombone soloist Lorralee Slough, a junior from Rapid City, S.D., is practicing her concerto with places for extra breaths.

UW student violinist Edgar Tumajyan from Armenia, also will perform a concerto. The program itself will feature the world premier, "Fanfare for Mountains and Peace," a piece Anne Guzzo, assistant professor in the Department of Music, composed for the exchange.