What happens when you unite dozens of musicians in a single place to share their knowledge, talents and love of traditional tunes?
You create a learning platform that generates great vibes and hours of listening pleasure for anyone in earshot.
That’s exactly what will occur Wednesday, June 7, when 20 musical ensembles congregate on the grounds of the Centro Cultural González Gallo for the 15th Encuentro de Arpas, Salterios y Mas.
The annual gathering of folk harp and other acoustic instrument players from all over Mexico and points beyond has become one of lakeside’s most anticipated cultural happenings. It’s a light-hearted musical marathon that gets rolling at 2 p.m., continuing non-stop until 11 p.m., barring a sudden downpour that could send everyone diving for cover.
Throughout the afternoon and evening, the invited artists take turns performing individual sets on the front steps of Chapala’s former railway station, while the audience takes in the show seated beneath large tents or stretched out on the grassy lawn.
Spectators are welcome to carry in folding chairs, blankets and other picnic gear. They come and go at leisure as the program progresses, finally evolving into the palomazo, when the musicians mix it up in a loose-knit jam session that fills the final hours.
Admission to the Encuentro is free of charge. The purchase of snack foods and beer, wine, tequila and soft drinks will help defray festival expenses. Souvenir tee-shirts, posters and CD recordings by the performers will also be offered for sale. And voluntary contributions from supporters are gratefully accepted.
Look for many of the guest musicians popping up at side events to be held in Ajijic, Chapala, Jocotepec and Ixtlahuacán in an improvised harp fest extension program running through the following weekend.
The Encuentro de Arpas y Mas originated a decade ago when a small group of folk harp players got together for a festive exchange in San Miguel Cuyutlan near Cajititlán. It was hosted by Gustavo Sánchez Ramírez and his son Gustavo Sánchez Bautista, the one-of-a-kind duo called Los Centenarios. The driving force behind that original encounter was Californian William Faulkner, who was keen to hone his repertoire and plucking skills through an exchange of ideas and techniques with other masters of the genre.
The gathering was repeated in subsequent years in conjunction with Guadalajara’s Fiestas de Octubre. It has grown in scale and scope since Chapala Renaissance man Javier Raygoza brought the event to lakeside in 2009, turning it into an annual confab held in early June. It now attracts top-notch musicians from all over the country and abroad, as well as crowds of lakeside music lovers who sit in and enjoy the sounds and applaud the artists.
A man of multiple talents, Raygoza holds dual university degrees in music and graphic design. He earns a living as a professional writer, cartoonist and publisher of Página, a popular local Spanish-language news weekly. He engages in sports and musical activities in his spare time.
Raygoza learned to play piano as a youngster and became a self-taught harp player as an adult. “An acquaintance told me I’d never learn to play the instrument, and I couldn’t resist the challenge,” he explains. His passion for traditional Mexican music inspired him to form the Orquesta Típica de Chapala six years ago, a group of amateur and experienced musicians dedicated to the preservation, rediscovery and diffusion of classic compositions.
Organizing the Encuentro de Arpas is a titanic undertaking that keeps Raygoza busy year-round. The final month involves nailing down commitments from guest musicians who willingly travel here at their own expense. He makes arrangements with local businesses to provide the out-of-town participants with meals and lodging at discounted prices, lines up additional sponsors to cover other expenses, and even designs and runs the publicity campaign. Friends, family and members of the Orquesta pitch in with the logistical details that make the harp fest tick.
The pay-off is getting positive feedback from an appreciative public and talented musicians who qualify the Chapala Encuentro as a first rate forum for traditional Latin American sounds.