California-born harpist William Faulkner stands out on the bill of solo artists slated to appear at the 12th Encuentro de Arpas, Salterios y Mas, to be held Wednesday, June 4, 2 to 10 p.m., on the grounds of Chapala’s Centro Cultural Gonzalez Gallo.
The off-beat music festival will bring together ensembles and soloists from Jalisco and points beyond to showcase traditional Mexican tunes performed on the Mexican folk harp, psaltery and a wide array of string and other acoustical instruments.
Prompted by a life-time passion for Mexican music, Faulkner took up playing the Jalisco folk harp in 1979. Over the following decade he directed and played with California’s Mariachi Mixtlán. He has been performing as a solo harpist in the style of Zapotíltic since 1983, making appearances at the Edinburgh Music festival and numerous other venues around the globe.
As a master of the genre, he has conducted workshops in California, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Mexico City and Guadalajara. He has compiled descriptions of different types of folk harps and the history of their evolution in the Americas for his website www.jaliscoharp.com.
In addition, Faulkner is credited with originating the harpists’ Encuentro, first held in October 2007 in the village of San Miguel Cuyutlan, near Cajititlan. The concept was to hold a gathering that would allow fellow musicians to socialize while practicing playing techniques and sharing knowledge.The conclave was repeated in the fall of 2008 in conjunction with Faulkner’s visit to Guadalajara to perform at the Fiestas de Octubre. The Encuentro has grown in size and scope since March 2009 when Chapala harpist Javier Raygoza first brought the program to lakeside. As it continued year after year, the event started attracting top notch musicians from all over the country, as well as crowds of lakeside music lovers interested in sitting in to enjoy the sounds and applaud the artists.
This year’s Encuentro will showcase solo performances by stellar harpists Luis Ku, Luis Alberto Gómez, and Roberto Díaz Montes, all from Guadalajara, Julio González from Cancún, Quintana Roo, Cristina Cabrera from Xalapa, Veracruz and Jesús Barajas Oceguera from Los Reyes, Michoacan.
The program also features sets by instrumental and vocal ensembles from near and far, including the Conjunto Arroyo Grande (Guerrero), Nenatatlín Jarochos (Veracruz), Grupo Malintzin (Mexico City), Orquesta Típica de Autlán (Jalisco), Mariachi Tradicional Tequileño, Mariachi Los Pitayeros and Grupo Amate, all from Guadalajara, and local musical troupes Ensamble Latino, Recuerdos de Mi México and Rondalla de Chapala.
The confab customarily loosens up after dark when individual artists begin mixing it up in the palomazo, an unstructured jam session that continues until the audience disperses and the musicians run out of creative juices.
Put together by Jalisco’s Ministry of Culture with support from the Chapala Municipal government and various individual and commercial patrons, the event is free of charge.
Spectators are welcome to come and go as they please throughout the eight-hour marathon and bring along their own snacks, drinks and outdoor picnic gear. Soft drinks and food catered by Tony’s Restaurant will be sold on site, along with t-shirts, posters, books and music CDs. Festival sponsors will offer free samplings of botanas and spirits.