Conjunto Cuncumén, a renowned Chilean folk group, will kick off its 70th anniversary tour with a performance in Chicago on Friday, October 11. The group was founded in February 1955 by Sylvia Urbina, Rolando Arcón, and Alejandro Reyes, who met during a folk music class. They named the group after the Mapudungun word for “murmur of water”: Cuncumén.
The group’s early achievements include a seven-month European tour in 1955, where they performed in Austria, France, Germany, and the Soviet Union. They also contributed to Violeta Parra’s influential series, El Folklore de Chile. Notably, Víctor Jara, the iconic singer-songwriter later murdered by Pinochet’s regime, was an early member of the group.
After a hiatus following the 1973 coup in Chile, Conjunto Cuncumén was revived in 1992 by current musical director Mariela Ferreira. The group is known for its dedication to preserving Chilean folk music by documenting and performing traditional rhythms from small towns and rural areas.
Location: Instituto Cervantes, 31 W. Ohio St., Chicago
Time: Doors open at 6:30 pm; show starts at 7:00 pm
For tickets, visit latinoculturalcenter.org.
Author: World Music Central News Room
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