This is the second part of a series celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month. You can read part one here.
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“Jopará” is a word from the native Paraguayan language Guarani (the country’s other official language is Spanish), which means “mixture.” It’s a colloquial form of Guarani with Spanish loan-words. “In this context, jopará represents a blend of harmonies and rhythms from the world with many facets of Paraguayan life,” describes the group’s website.
“That is what we are trying to share: a blend of classical, folk, and more contemporary elements,” said guitarist Aleia Gonzalez Gulino. She is one of the founding members of the Jopará Ensemble, along with violinist Ramiro Miranda, cellist Irene Diaz, and pianist Alejandro Avila.
“Our goal is to present the music of our homeland using a unique ensemble set up,” said Gonzalez Gulino. Specialized arrangements by Miranda help blend these instruments and inspirations.
“It is interesting to see how composers use traditional elements in their classical compositions. Some classical pieces incorporate rhythms of folk music, such as the ‘polca,’ sometimes in a way that’s not immediately obvious. Some pieces are also inspired by a specific location or aspects of nature,” she said.
Jopará Ensemble performs for the Kansas Music Teachers Association conference at the UMKC Conservatory on Sept. 27.
The wood that sings
In the southern Mexican state of Chiapas and neighboring Guatemala, there is a tradition of marimba, but it’s unlike what you see at the back of the symphonic stage in the U.S. It’s a communal performance, with four players to the instrument. Children learn to play standing on boxes, and it’s a part of many community gatherings and celebrations.
These beautiful handcrafted instruments have a thin organic membrane called “tela” attached to small openings at the bottom of the wooden resonators, providing a distinct buzzing sound.
“So much more than the sum of its parts, la marimba Chiapaneca is the fusing of musical and cultural traditions from three continents into such an amazing artistic and cultural expression of the wonderful people of Chiapas,” said percussionist John Currey, who has studied and performed the Mexican marimba tradition for over 35 years. He’s also a frequent collaborator with Ensemble Ibérica on a variety of percussion traditions.
In Southern Mexico and Central America, marimbas are more plentiful than orchestras and even pianos, said Currey, so the instrument is “most often the caretaker of all genres and classes of musical repertoire—folkloric, classical, and popular.”
Kansas City is home to one of the few Mexican marimba ensembles in the United States: Marimba Sol de Chiapas. The group started out as student ensemble Marimba Yajalón in 1988 at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, founded by professor Laurence Kaptain. It then came to the UMKC Conservatory as an ensemble-in-residence in 1991, ultimately becoming an independent performing ensemble in 2004 under its current name.
Currey is the last original member and helms performances and outreach for the group. (Classical KC’s Senior Producer Sam Wisman has been a member since 2010). Along with traditional music for marimba, they play different styles of folkloric music from all over Mexico and Central America, performed in concert, for schools, the Mexican Consulate, and family parties.
Marimba Sol de Chiapas performs at the Inman Student and Community Center on the campus of Central Methodist University in Fayette, MO on Thursday, September 26th at 11am.
Additional events
- Malevo, an all-male group specializing in Malambo, a traditional Argentine folk dance. Midwest Trust Center, Sept. 26, 2024.
- Sonia de los Santos, singer and guitarist with “A Celebration of Latin America,” Midwest Trust Center, Oct. 25 and Oct. 26, 2025.
- Mariachi Herencia de Méxíco, a Chicago-based, Grammy Award-nominated mariachi ensemble, Midwest Trust Center, Oct. 26, 2024.
- Disney’s Encanto Sing-Along Live Concert, watch the film with live music, presented by the Harriman-Jewell Series, Folly Theater, Nov. 1, 2024.
- Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández, presented by the Harriman-Jewell Series, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Feb. 23, 2025.
- Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, the first mariachi opera ever written, presented by Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, March 7-9, 2025.
Do you have a performance featuring Hispanic or Latin American music coming up? Add it to Classical KC’s Community Calendar.
Follow Classical KC on air and online as we continue to highlight local and visiting artists in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month.
