New Crest on the Infinite River
Manuel Obregon is
a man of visions. He accomplishes his goals because he acts on his aspirations.
To his credit, Obregon is one of the founders of Papaya Music, Costa Rica’s
premiere music label. He is a member of the popular band Malpais, has a solo
career as a pianist, is the founder of Orquestra de Papaya, and the list goes
on and on. Manuel’s newest vision is called Rio Infinito, one of his most
ambitious project to date. Thirty-four musicians from all over the Americas
assembled last April for the Costa Rica International Arts Festival. It would
be the first appearance by the Orquestra del Rio Infinito. Since then, the
number has swelled to more than fifty performers.
Manuel Obregon
sees music as a messenger with the capability of conveying individual and
community needs. And he recognizes fresh waterways as critical to civilization
since its dawn in the Americas:
water to plant seeds for food and to transport those seeds, plants, and the
things that consume them. It is no secret that the water that has formerly been
in abundance here is literally evaporating. Obregon feels a responsibility to
communicate this problem through musical events.
The La Plata Basin Tour 2009
will commence its monumental five thousand kilometer journey by boat on
November 3, beginning at Corumba on the Pantanal
River on the border between Brazil and Bolivia. With eight scheduled
concerts in these two countries, Paraguay,
Argentina and ultimately Montevideo, Uruguay
on December 2, the Orquestra de Rio Infinito will invite local musicians to
participate along the way. All the concerts will be free, including unscheduled
stops at any port where they dock. They have received commitments from more
than two hundred local musicians and the support of more than forty-five
organizations, the strongest support coming from AVINA Foundation, who are
dedicated to sustainable development in Latin America.
The Plata Basin
is the fifth largest freshwater basin in the world. Literally millions of
people depend on it for their lives. Manuel Obregon’s goal is to rejoin the
marriage of water and culture. The response so far has been a very positive
one, a union of musicians and teachers, artists and community leaders,
environmental and social activists. The project has received a non-governmental
status, which speaks volumes of its intentions, unbound by any political
affiliation. The travelling band is a mix of musicians from all over the Americas: besides Sr. Obregon, musicologist
Manuel Monestel and the Caribbean vocalists
The Tucker Sisters are Costa Rican. The United
States is ably represented by New Orleans violinist Nancy Buchan and
Argentinan rock star and producer Leon Greco will be participating. Belizean
punta rocker Mohobub Flores will also be there, along with Nicaraguan marimba
players, Salvadoran bassists, Guatemalan percussionists, Panamanian guitarists,
Peruvian flautists and a plethora of other players. The coordination and
communication end of the project is a massive team in itself, with Daniel
Aisemberg at the helm, accompanied primarily by Malpais member Jaime Gamboa and
the lovely Julia Ardon.
Manuel Obregon
refers to the project as an “orchestrated journey”. I hope it is just the start
of a pleasant, successful one.
For more
information, visit their website at: www.rioinfinito.com All comments concerning this article are
welcome.
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