The Venezuelan Percussion Ensemble

It was a great weekend here in Limerick.  The cool autumn weather seemed to lift as the lively Venezuelan Percussion Ensemble (VPE) rolled into town.  The group was brought in by the Irish Chamber Orchestra as part of the orchestra's educational outreach program "Sing Out with Strings," which is modeled after Venezuela's El Sistema.  As part of the weekend, students at the World Academy of Music were invited to participate in a variety of workshops.

The VPE is made up of ten musicians, many of whom were taught music in Sistema.  Six of the musicians rotate through a variety of instruments, including timpani, maracas, marimba, vibraphone, bongos and many more.  Four musicians stay on a single instrument, these being the bass guitar, drum set, Cuatro (four-string instrument which is like a ukelele) and a Venezuelan harp.

On Friday I participated in an intercultural workshop where we learned about traditional Venezuelan songs, and afterwards had a jam on an Irish tune.  The VPE invited us all to play in Sunday's concert as part of an encore.  I found it quite strange that I, as a Canadian, had my European debut playing an Irish tune with Venezuelan percussionists. However confusing, the performance was great craic (a common Irish term meaning fun).

On Saturday I observed a "Meet the Musician" session for school children.  The VPE members were great at encouraging interaction and participation, despite the language barrier.  Saturday afternoon was another jam session, this time on a Venezuelan tune El Diablo Suelto.

The talent of these musicians was incredible and the concert was the best I've seen in a while.  The repertoire ranged from Barber of Seville to fugues, Latino rhythms and even a laser light show.  It is the only time in my life I have seen a maraca solo, and then it turned into a maraca show-down between two performers.  Absolutely brilliant!  The audience responded with laughter, cheers and a standing ovation.

 

 Maraca solo which included twirls and flips!  His hands were moving so fast!

One of the highlights of the concert was the "Sing Out With Strings" school children performing the song "Wave you Flag."  The piece was arranged by program educators and involved violin students and singers from multiple elementary schools in the Limerick area.  I had seen the children perform the piece before, but this time it was extra exciting because the VPE added some Venezuelan rhythms to the mix.  You could tell all the musicians on stage had a good time!

If you want to check out VPE on Youtube here are a couple links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_mYc7AjLRU&feature=relmfu
This link showcases the skill of the group and although long it includes many great solos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9YP0H7UbXQ
This piece is pure fun! Not sure if you can tell in the video, but they really act it up for the audience.

This week I'll be learning Tribal and Samba drumming.  I may yet be a true percussionist!

Shannon