In southern Chile, at Frutillar, the Teatro del Lago, with its impressive natural backdrop alongside Lake Llanquihue and Osorno Volcano, continues to offer captivating events, classes and activities in music and dance. Each year, Teatro del Lago has a spectacular event calendar and educational programs that are world-class.

 

"The anniversary festival is a great celebration revolving around the arts and educational programs that we celebrate every year with the entire community. We proudly share the work that the teachers and students of our arts school carry out throughout the year. And its an opportunity to renew our vocation and mission on inspiring development through culture and the arts," says Carmen Gloria Larenas, art director for Teatro del Lago.

 

On Friday, at 12pm, Metropolitan Opera House of New York acclaimed harpist, Emmanuel Ceysson, will open the festival with works by Debussy, Tournier, Schumann and other composers. Ceysson studied at the Royal Academy Music in London, and in 2006 he won the first prize and six special prizes from the New York Young Concert Artist Auditions. He will repeat his show on Saturday at the same time.

Also on the opening day of the anniversary program, dance students from the Teatro del Lago arts school will present "Encounter with Coppelia,” in which 50 dancers guided by the choreographer Esdras Hernández will present in a sort of work in progress format of their performance of the Arthur Saint-Léon and Léo Delibes ballet, which will have its official premiere in 2019. The public will also enjoy learning more about the creation of the ballet –such as the vision of its authors and the choreography – and get to view the advances in the design of the costumes and set design.

 

On Saturday, acclaimed Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva will take the stage along with renowned French pianist Antoine Palloc. They will perform works by J. Massenet, G. Puccini and A. Catalani, reviewing iconic pieces from the operas Madama Butterfly, Don Quixote, La Bohème, and more. Yoncheva won first prize and special prize of the Plácido Domingo Operália Contest in 2010, and has had successful presentations at operas in Vienna, Berlin, Paris, London and the Metropolitan of New York. Palloc, meanwhile, will share his knowledge in a master class that will contribute to the training of Chilean accompanist pianists.

 

"Great artists like Sonya Yoncheva are inspiring, not only for those who love opera, but also for the public, in particular with the depth of the musical experience that they offer. We are honored that this magnificent soprano will present on our stage, making her debut in South America at Teatro del Lago," says Larenas.

 

On Sunday, one can’t miss "The Carnival of Animals,” a musical performance wich will feature the work of French composer Camille Sainte-Saëns. Created in 1886, it continues to enchant audiences with its comic energy and whimsical elements. Each instrument takes the role of a different animal, giving a voice to elephants, chicken, fish, turtles and more.

 

The Camerata and the Piccolo Orchestra of the theater's arts school will perform this famous work and Chile´s Oscar winning audiovisual studio, Punkrobot, has created 2D animation to accompany the music. The animation will be projected during the show, creating a fun, family-friendly performance that anyone can enjoy. According to Larenas, this performance truly shows “the heart of Teatro del Lago,” thoughtfully combining the theater’s educational program with great artists.

 

The celebration will not only be inside, as Cordel, a group specialized in the assembly of workshops in public spaces, will guide the community in the creation of illustrated tenths and xylography, following the style of the old popular liras. The group will perform in the Frutillar town squares known as De la Música, Gabriela Mistral and Cabo Rojas, offering free workshops to neighbors between 11 am and 4 pm between November 16 and 18.

 

Part of Frutillar's history will also be on display in the exhibition "Robert Dick, a life in service of the community and education.” An immigrant who left a transcendental legacy in education and music in the community, different aspects of Dick's life, one of the founders of the “Semanas Musicales” of Frutillar,  the exhibition is free and open to the public at the Teatro del Lago beginning this Friday.

 

Puerto Montt will also join the party with the arrival of more than 60 students from the choirs of Escuela España, Escuela Gabriela Mistral and Patagonia College of Puerto Montt. They will present "La Cantata de los Oficios" by Chilean composer Sebastián Errázuriz. This cantata, the first in southern Chile, whose performance is to be guided by the director of the Teatro del Lagos choir, Catalan Quim Piqué, evokes themes related to the communities that have formed around Lake Llanquihue. This concert will be presented on Friday, at 12, in San Sebastián University.

 

Osorno joins the celebration with a concert by the Adult Choir and Lyric Choir of the Choral School of Teatro del Lago. Both groups will perform works by composers such as Will Todd and George Gershwin, among others. The concert will be held on Friday, at 7 pm, in the auditorium of the Atención al Vecino building of the the Municipality of Osorno.

 

"It is very important for us to make known what we do and celebrate together with others these first eight years of the Teatro. That is why we decided to go out and present ourselves in different spaces, where the community can get up close to art, participate, and enjoy it," says María José Mira, head of the education and community program for Teatro del Lago.

 

After this weekend’s celebration, Teatro del Lago will open its doors to Spanish singer and songwriter, Joan Manuel Serrat on November 29.  Serrat was voted “Person of the Year” in 2014 during the Latin Grammy Awards. He will bring his audience on a journey at sea with his exquisite “Mediterráneo Da Capo” show, performing many of his best songs, as well as an added musical surprise.

 

Coming on December 8, the theater will present a performance by Teatro del Lago’s Choral School. The show is entitled “Canciones del Santuario,” and will showcase the work of English composer Karl Jenkins. To close out 2018, on December 29, Teatro del Lago will have its final performance, “Concierto Valses para Soñar.” Students from their dance school will perform this magical show, transporting audiences to a moment of luxury and elegance in Imperial Vienna. Both performances give visitors the chance to see first-hand the theater’s hardworking and talented students, in addition to enjoying works by some of the world’s greatest artists.

 

For 2019, Teatro del Lago already has a multitude of unique events and activities lined up. The list is led by German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie, Spanish cellist Pablo Ferrández, and "Dance Me,” a show inspired by the work of Canadian poet, novelist and singer, Leonard Cohen. In addition, we can anticipate performances ranging from a concert featuring love songs by The Beatles on February 12 to a classic Shakespeare-inspired ballet of Romeo and Juliet on July 19.

 

"The content we have prepared for 2019 is diverse and connected to the world, through important topics and exceptional artists, our own productions and national and international artists. In its globality, it is an invitation to look at the world every time in a new way, to be interested in what we know or do not know, to give a living space to curiosity,” said Carmen Gloria Larenas in a press release about the spirit that will characterize this season.