Chirihue is an ensemble that performs jazz, classical and folk compositions with rhythms that stretch from the Caribbean to the southern Andes. In a rare combination of craft and emotion, their music is a vital expression of the human experience in Latin America, with poignant connections to specific regional traditions.

Chirihue's core members—Orión Morales, Rodrigo Invernizzi and Ella Ponce are interdisciplinary artists who link performance to cultural studies and social activism. Pianist Orión Morales has been an organizer of the Panama Jazz Festival and the ChilEUropa Jazz Fest. He runs a non-profit in Chile (Musicambio) to provide scholarships to young musicians in need. The concert will feature his work, “Ciudad de las Grúas” (City of Cranes), which depicts the accelerated construction of high rise apartment buildings to keep pace with migration to Chile's capital city. Guitarist Rodrigo Invernizzi has worked at the Archives of Popular Traditions at the Chilean National Library, and as accompanist to legends of folk music, including Catalina Ríos. His piece, “Angelito Florecío” (Blossoming Angel) captures the spirit of a rural child’s wake, in which the community mourns the child's passing, while also celebrating her soul's transformation in to an angel. Ella Ponce plays with the National Symphony Orchestra of Panama, and has based her recent composition, "Arimae," on the Tonoa drum of the Embera and Wounan indigenous groups of eastern Panama. She received the drum from the tribal council after a trip to Darién province to teach. Chirihue's concert will also feature music of prominent Latin American songwriters whose work, like that of Orión, Rodrigo and Ella, reflects the social and cultural transformations of their time.

This event is also sponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies, the Department of Music, and the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh. For more information contact Emily Pinkerton at ejp@pitt.edu.