Sara Curruchich, Indigenous Guatemalan singer-songwriter visits campus

Searching into the viewers members filling Jessen Auditorium, Sara Curruchich beamed as she performed a music on the Guatemalan marimba. 

Curruchich, Indigenous Guatemalan singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, visited the Butler College of Music final Tuesday, performing a free live performance for college students and Austin group members. Along with taking part in authentic music, Curruchich joined music college students to debate her music, Indigenous cultural influences and experiences.  

“I felt an power as if it have been a household,” Curruchich stated in an interview translated by means of a translation software program. “It was a really shifting live performance. … At one level, individuals danced.”

Curruchich, the primary Indigenous Guatemalan singer-songwriter to share her songs in Kaqchikel and Spanish on a world stage, stated her music focuses totally on the experiences of Indigenous individuals, bringing conventional Guatemalan music and fashionable sounds collectively to replicate the variety and historical past of her individuals. 

“My music is a mix of Cumbia, reggae and rock with the standard music from my individuals,” Curruchich stated. “The principal themes I write about are Indigenous girls, resistance, historical past and rights of girls.”

From Comalapa, a Maya Kaqchikel city in Guatemala, Curruchich stated her tradition and background play an vital function within the music she creates and performs. 

“For me, music is the right channel to talk about tradition and identification,” Curruchich stated. “As a result of we continuously see the annulment of the historical past of our peoples, it’s vital for me to speak in regards to the identification of Indigenous peoples by means of my music. … (Music) turns into sort of a therapeutic course of for experiences of racism that I and different Indigenous individuals expertise.”

Robin Moore, a professor of Ethnomusicology on the Butler College of Music, helped collect the funds to help Curruchich’s go to. He stated that receiving funding for artist visits typically comes simpler if the artist additionally takes half in a tutorial engagement along with their efficiency.

“I’m at all times excited to usher in visitor artists that signify new musical types and views,” Moore stated. “Normally, it’s a query of whether or not we actually have funding to help it. … However on this case, there was cash on the desk, so fortunately, it labored out.”

Spending the morning earlier than the live performance with graduate college students on the Butler College of Music, Curruchich mentioned her musical fashion and background as an Indigenous Guatemalan lady.

“It was very enriching as a result of the scholars shared their questions and their experiences,” Curruchich stated. “We additionally spoke in regards to the function of girls within the music trade and the challenges they face.” 

Later that night, Curruchich carried out for a full viewers, showcasing songs from her second album, Mujer Indígena, in addition to some songs performed on the marimba. 

“It was beautiful as a result of college students who we had spoken to within the morning additionally got here,” Curruchich stated. “Others who came upon in regards to the live performance who aren’t college college students additionally got here.”

Mercedes Payán, a graduate scholar on the Butler College of Music learning ethnomusicology, helped manage Sara’s go to. Payán stated Sara’s go to marked an vital step for Indigenous illustration on campus.

“For our native Indigenous college students on campus, it’s vital to see different individuals like them on the stage,” Payán stated. “Indigenous individuals are doing superb issues. … We now have the areas and the instruments, and we will use them to help these artists.”