by Josué E. Jocop Siney, FECOGUA Representative
Dear readers, the purpose of this article is to tell the story of a group of musicians, my colleagues and friends, who have decided not to remain silent as concern—generated as the institutions in charge of promoting music in Guatemala have suffered due to socio-political difficulties—grows. But before introducing our solution, I feel the need to first present some background information to put it in context.
Guatemala is a country located in Central America, long known for being the cradle of the Mayan civilization, for its lakes, volcanoes, mountains, jungles, and rainforests. In addition, Guatemala is a multicultural and multilingual country; four peoples coexist: Maya, Xinca, Garífuna, and Ladino (Mestizo). The nation’s history has had episodes as bloody as both the Conquest and the terrible internal armed conflict that subjugated its greatest treasure, its people, for 36 long years. It is incredible, then, to observe how colorful and artistic the towns in Guatemala are; you can hear the notes of the marimba everywhere, playing the rhythms of sones, danzones, waltzes, and many other genres that live on in the imaginations of Guatemalans. It seems that there are no economic, social, or political obstacles that prevent our people from expressing themselves in this most sincere, creative, and human way.
Guatemala has seen the birth of musicians and composers among whom I will mention: Eulalio Samayoa, one of the first symphonists in the Americas and founder of the Guatemalan Philharmonic Association in 1813; Jesús Castillo, ethnomusicologist, and author of the book La Música Maya Quiché which rescues, classifies, and studies the memories of pre-Hispanic music in Guatemala; and Maestro Joaquín Orellana, composer of contemporary music whose most notable contributions are the creation of his own musical notation system and of his “Sound Tools,” instruments he built, derived from the marimba and other elements.
After having broadly presented Guatemala and its people, I can tell you that the Horn Festival in Guatemala “FECOGUA” was born from the need of musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra and the Marcial Symphonic Band, to create a platform which allows players to connect with each other and with the world to improve all aspects concerning the horn. In this process, collaborative efforts were made with institutions dedicated to teaching, as well as with music lovers, students, and international professors to bring together the largest possible number of instrumentalists in one place, teach classes, and create space for ensembles and concerts in which everyone may participate.
In 2018, the first Horn Festival was held, thanks to the support of the Spanish teacher Samuel Pérez. This was our first attempt to organize an activity of this nature. Teamwork with well-defined roles helped us realize that we could have a positive impact on and contribute to the comprehensive development of new generations of horn players in the country. The second Festival welcomed Mexican teachers as guests: Ernesto Miramontes and Esmeralda Pazos, both academics from the Universidad Veracruzana. This was very motivating for the participants because it broke, in some ways, with the model of the teacher as a being who knows everything, who makes no mistakes, and who remains distant. On the contrary, the teacher's role was that of a friend who makes it easier for you to get to know him or her and gives you tools to work on bettering yourself.
Against all odds, the year 2020 was very productive for our organization, despite the fact that the world faced the covid pandemic. Over the course of three months, 18 conferences were held with teachers such as Lucca Benucci (ITA), Keith Eitzen (USA), Edward Brown (USA), Luis Murillo (CR), João Gaspar (PORT), and Joel Arias (VEN), among others. It was very useful to have contact with so many professors, to learn their life stories, including the adversities they faced throughout their careers, and to receive valuable information in their masterclasses.
In 2023, the Festival was held with Joel Arias, representative of the region for the International Horn Society. Maestro Arias is an important figure for our festival since he has a lot of experience in pedagogy and interpretation. In 2023, the first student performance competition was held, and the winner performed Mozart's Concerto No. 3 with orchestra, the first time such an event was held in our country.
The primary purpose of this organization is to provide participants with the opportunity to attend masterclasses where they can receive the guidance needed to master the instrument, develop interpretation, and perform a piece accompanied by a pianist or an orchestra. This process offers a total of 30 hours of study which includes warm-ups, individual and group lessons, conferences, recitals, and collegiality. It should be noted that the Horn Festival in Guatemala is a non-profit organization and that all activities are carried out through negotiations with government institutions, donations from altruistic people, and now also with the support of the IHS.
