Freddy Vilches Meneses

Selected Choral Compositions

 

 

Abya Yala Choral Suite

A choral suite composed by Freddy Vilches Meneses

Commissioned by Resonance Ensemble and ACDA Northwest

​

This multilingual composition is the result of many months of research and collaborative work with several poets in Latin America. As a composer with indigenous roots in South America, my original idea was to compose a choral suite that would include poems in several languages spoken by our indigenous communities in South, Central and North America - as well as their versions in Spanish.

 

I selected 5 bilingual poets from different regions of Abya Yala whose poetry spoke to me. My collaborative work with these great poets took different forms, ranging from writing adaptations to better suit the song format to discussing the styles of music and instrumentation we envisioned for each piece.

​

The poems were chosen for their beauty and subtle, yet powerful messages. In these texts we find the constant presence of our ancestors, a profound love for the land “Pachamama,” and a strong call to preserve the languages and cultures of our indigenous communities for future generations.

​

The result is this multilingual work that includes poets from the Mapuche, Aymara, Quechua, Maya K'iche', and Nahuatl communities. Although directly related to Abya Yala, the topics addressed by these poets are universal, hence the beauty and relevance of these poems for all.

​

Abya Yala Choral Suite

by

Freddy Vilches Meneses

 

Poetry by 

Elicura Chihuailaf Nahuelpán (Mapudungun)

Estela Gamero López (Aymara)

Julieta Zurita Cavero (Quechua)

Rosa Chávez (Maya K’iche’)

and Gustavo Zapoteco Sideño (Nahuatl)