Andes Manta Concert WVU Parkersburg

Andes Manta to recreate haunting melodies of high Andes and joyous dance rhythms of village festivals.

CONTACT: H.G. Young III, professor of music, 304-424-8248.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The haunting melodies of the high Andes and the joyous dance rhythms of village festivals will be recreated when the Andes Manta ensemble performs Feb. 3 at West Virginia University at Parkersburg.

The 8 p.m. program is part of the college's Distinguished Performance Series and will be held in the multi-purpose room.

Photo of Andes Manta Andes Manta performs the traditional music of the Andean mountains of South America, rooted in the cultural heritage of the Incas and their ancestors. The dynamic and mystical songs that the ensemble plays are filled with exquisite sounds of an ancient, yet still vital, civilization.

The four musicians who comprise Andes Manta are brothers from Quito, Ecuador: Fernando, Luis, Bolivar and Jorge Lopez. They began playing at an early age using their distinct musical form to express the richness of their culture and traditions. The Lopez brothers play over 35 traditional hand-made instruments. Much of their music recreates the vitality of nature, the sound of wind, rain and birds.

Andes Manta has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Smithsonian Institution, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Yale University, Vassar College and hundreds of other schools and universities. Andes Manta has written and performed part of the score for the Discovery Channel special "Rediscovering America" and performed Latin American music for the Silver Burdett-Ginn series on music of the world. Andes Manta has recorded with Koch International, Narada Records and Living Music.

Tickets are available in the college business office or by calling (304) 424-8223. Adult tickets are $10 and advance student tickets are $2; student tickets at the door are $5.

Andes Manta will present a panpipe making workshop at the Parkersburg Art Center on Saturday, Feb. 4. Call 485-3859 for more information. The ensemble will also conduct a student workshop Feb. 3 at Jefferson School.

Financial assistance for Andes Manta program is provided by a grant from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the WVU Parkersburg academic affairs, student activities, and social justice program budgets.

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For additional information, contact:
Connie Dziagwa
WVU Parkersburg
Executive Director
Institutional Advancement
(304-424-8203)