Michelle Bigenho: Bolivian Music: Música de Maestros
Música de Maestros or Music of the Masters is a 24-member ensemble that interprets the master composers of Bolivian music. Under the direction of Rolando Encinas, the ensemble has performed throughout Latin America, Japan, and Europe. In 1994, I joined Música de Maestros as a violinist, and on return visits to Bolivia I have continued to perform and record with them. Música de Maestros has recorded eight CDs. The repertoire of the ensemble both recreates master works of mestizo and Creole composers, as well as repositions indigenous music genres with their troupe-style performance aesthetics. The group's size and varied instrumentation produce a sound which pleasantly decenters what many people expect to hear under the label of "Bolivian music."
Some of my favorites in the repertoire include: all the cuecas of Simeón Roncal, "Nostalgias" a cueca by Rolando Encinas (Volume VII), "Carnaval palmareño" by Victor Rivera (Volume 1-2).
If you would like more information about this ensemble, contact Rolando Encinas or Marlene Mercado at: