Colonia del Sacramento draws emerging and established talent for new festival

The cobble-stoned streets of Colonia del Sacramento will be walked by some illustrious names next weekend, when emerging and established artists head to the southwestern Uruguayan city for a new arts festival.

The inaugural edition of the Festival Internacional de Colonia runs from November 8 to 10 in the charming town, famed for its historic quarter, which is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Curated under the direction of acclaimed Uruguayan-born pianist Enrique Graf, it will become the only festival in Uruguay to unite tango, jazz, classical music, theatre, film documentary and visual arts.

Events begin Thursday, November 8, with a free open-air concert in the gardens of the Bastion del Carmen, featuring a chamber ensemble of the SODRE Youth Orchestra, the Orfeo Choir and other soloists.

Serving as venue throughout the festival, those lush gardens – as well as other local venues such as the Stella Cinema and the AFE Cultural Centre – will host names both new and old from Argentina, Brazil, the United States and Uruguay.

Notable performers include Uruguayan soprano singer María Antúnez, young Brazilian jazz pianist Hércules Gomes, andUru guayan tango quint et La Mufa. Renowned leading actress Estela Medina will also give a one-woman performance on home soil, ranging from Gabriel Calderón to Baudelaire.

An exhibition of Uruguayan visual artists curated by an international panel will be displayed, whi le Auto Club ofY este r da ywill show a col lec ti onof vinta ge cars.

The festival will also be screening Messenger on a White Hor

se, Jayson McNamara’s film covering the life of former Bue

nos Aires Herald editor Robert Cox. The documentary shows Cox’s unswerving defiance of Argent in a’ slast militar ydictatorshi pata timewhenmost local media chose to turna blinde ye to the reports of torture and forced disappearances. After the film, Cox will be present for a talk and to take questions.

The Festival Internacional de Colonia (FIC) is a non-profit organisation. Tickets for the festival should be bought through the festival’s website (www.festivalcolonia.org) and are priced at 2,800 Uruguayan pesos for th whole weekend.