“When we perform, we are showing our audience that different cultures are appreciated and represented here. I think having this representation of culture is so important at our university,” said Angel Algarin, graduating senior majoring in Spanish and pre-veterinary sciences, and a performer in Ohio State’s Andean Music Ensemble.

Offered as a course at Ohio State, the Andean Music Ensemble teaches students how to play and perform folk music from South American countries like Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina. Students learn how to play various Andean instruments, sing in Spanish, Quechua and Aymara, explore Andean musical and performance aesthetics and learn about the cultural background, and social significance of the songs. 

Formed in autumn 2014, the ensemble has been performing for two semesters. The course is taught every semester and is open to undergraduate and graduate students. No auditions or prior musical experience is required. This spring, there were 10 registered students in the ensemble, which continues to grow.

Members of the Andean Music Ensemble perform at the Ohio Union

Peter Moeller, a first-year musicology doctoral student and ensemble member, said, “The ensemble has a very communal setting. No one plays just one instrument. It allows us to get a lot of experience and gain a wider skill set.”

Instruments include zampoñas or sikuris (Andean panpipes), tarkas (Bolivian festival flutes), quenas/kenas (notched mouthpiece flutes), charangos (Andean syncretic string instruments), guitars, bombo (Andean bass drum) and chakchas (goat hooves rattles), among others. 

In addition to equipping students with musical skills, the course complements undergraduate lecture courses on Latin America and graduate level theoretical and methodological seminars on music and culture, adding an important experiential component to the curriculum in music and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

Performance is an essential part of the ensemble’s experience. Each semester the Andean Music Ensemble performs in various locations around campus. Last fall, they performed on the Oval and in the Ohio Union and in the spring the ensemble received a special invitation to perform for members of the Ohio State community at President Drake’s residence.

Members of the Andean Music Ensemble on the Oval

Outreach is another important component of the ensemble. This semester, the ensemble participated in the Building Bridges Outreach Program, coordinated through the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, which brought 130 4th-7th graders from the Columbus Bilingual Academy, to campus. 

“We wanted these kids to see how our band integrates the Andean culture at a collegiate level and show them that people are interested in learning about their culture,” said Algarin.

The Andean Music Ensemble was made possible by the collaborative effort of the Center for Latin American Studies, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and School of Music. Michelle Wibbelsman, assistant professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, is director of the ensemble and can be contacted for more information.

By Molly Kime, ASC Communications student