Guaraní Choir and Orchestra Palmarito-Santa Rosa perform at the XIV Festival of American Renaissance and Baroque Music

The Palmarito-Santa Rosa Choir and Orchestra, composed of Guaraní artists, will once again perform at the XIV Festival of American Renaissance and Baroque Music "Misiones de Chiquitos". They will present three programs, one of which will be alongside an important Spanish ensemble.

The first performance will take place on Friday, April 26, at 7:00 PM, in the "Los Huérfanos" Chapel, in collaboration with the renowned Spanish ensemble "Los Músicos de su Alteza". The program, entirely religious in nature, includes four pieces from the Chiquitos archives (two in Guaraní language) along with works from Spanish and American archives.

The second concert, a co-production with musicians from the native communities of Chaco, will be held on Saturday, April 27, at 8:00 PM, in the Santa Rosa del Sara Church. The third performance will take place on Sunday, April 28, at 11:30 AM, in the San Juan Bautista Church in Porongo. Both church performances will feature a repertoire sourced from the Chiquitos and Moxos archives, including two of the only compositions in the Guaraní language found in this repository.

Piotr Nawrot, the artistic director of the festival, highlights that the school has made significant strides in the musical life of its communities and is capable of presenting two diverse programs, which is uncommon for mission schools. Both programs include Baroque works with Guaraní texts, representing the first music sung in Chiquitos during the missions' founding in the late 17th century.

It's worth mentioning that the natural voices of the Palmarito Choir have made it quite famous. In previous editions of the festival, they performed alongside the Arakaendar Choir and Orchestra, collaborating with musicians from the Royal College of Music in London and the Norwegian soundtrack. Additionally, the choir traveled to Rome and gave a concert during the Synod of the Amazonian Church, where they also accompanied a mass officiated by Pope Francis, as recalled by Nawrot.

The performances of the Palmarito-Santa Rosa Choir and Orchestra, as well as the training of its members, are made possible thanks to the support of TotalEnergies. The company has been backing the ensemble for a decade, and it has also been a sponsor of the Baroque Music Festival for 24 years. TotalEnergies contributes to the preservation and dissemination of Bolivian musical heritage, as well as the artistic development of young Guaraní individuals.

The company actively promotes the talent of the children and young people who make up the Palmarito-Santa Rosa Choir and Orchestra. These talented artists are not only contributing to the revival and sharing of their ancestors' musical legacy but also building a valuable artistic trajectory both nationally and internationally.

Regarding the ensemble itself, the Palmarito Santa Rosa Choir and Orchestra consists of children and young students from the Guaraní communities of Palmarito and Santa Rosa. Since 2022, they have been under the guidance of teachers native to these localities. This ensemble is the result of collaborative efforts over many years involving Father Tarsicio Dino Ciabatti from the Apostolic Vicariate of Camiri, the Italian artist and physician Mimmo Roselli, the communal authorities of Palmarito and Santa Rosa, the Association Pro Arte y Cultura (APAC), and the municipalities of Gutiérrez and Villa Huacaya, along with institutions like TotalEnergies since 2013.