Latin American Composers

You might think that South American music is just tangos and pan pipes but, at our mid-March meeting, Club members Kim and Kevin Menzies proved otherwise. They took us on a sunny tour of Latin American countries with musical illustrations from Mexico down to Chile and back up the other coast to Cuba.

We heard music rooted in ancient folk heritage, Spain and the Church and modern world music styles. It was great to hear so many new composers and performers in a feast of rhythms and sounds. Only a few composers like Villa-Lobos, Ginastera and Piazzolla are familiar to most European audiences, so the discovery of new music was all the more interesting.

However, we were especially warmed by Kim who treated us to several live pieces on her guitar.