Guitarist Miguel Cordova's visit will have Otterbein mixing music, poetry and politics.
The long-awaited reception of the renowned Chilean composer and musician has students and faculty coming together in a performance that crosses world cultures and several forms of the arts.
"The arts are not as divided as we sometimes think, and I think that's part of what's going on here," Terry Hermsen, associate professor of English, said.
Thanks to Cordova's unique blend of arts and influences, including collaborations with the celebrated Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, as well as his own experience with the political turmoil of Chile in the early '70s, the perspective Cordova brings to Otterbein should be as impacting as it is diverse.
"My music and the music of Chile then was about the retrieval of our culture," Cordova said. "We all banded together creatively."
According to Hermsen, "So much of our activities are separated by departments, and now, thanks to the diverse nature of Miguel's work, we have the music department really jumping in head first and saying, ‘OK, we're going to collaborate with English and with Spanish.'"
"It's really a nice combination of Spanish, English, political science and music all at the same time," he said.
Cordova's visit traces back to a coincidental dinner with Cordova's niece during Hermsen's sabbatical in Chile which set the ball into motion. "He handed me this CD as a parting gift, with his e-mail and address on the back of it," Hermsen said.
The CD featured Cordova in collaboration with Neruda, who was the research focus for Hermsen's sabbatical and visit to Chile. Cordova's nationally-celebrated folk band Aparcoa, which was featured on the album, would help give birth to what came to be known as the New Chilean Song movement.
"I'm very pleased how everyone here was so willing to put in the time and effort to have this concert," Cordova said. "The students are opening themselves and mixing in new musical styles, instruments and experiences, which is what my music and Chilean art is all about."
These mixtures will be put to use in Cordova's campus recital on Thursday night in Battelle. The performance features eight of Cordova's arrangements, which he will be performing on classical guitar with the accompaniment of a select group of student instrumentalists called the Otterbein Players, as well as an open reading of Neruda's poetry from Hermsen himself — all of which will be orchestrated under the direction of conductor and Otterbein music professor Jim Bates.
"It's always fun to collaborate like this with new musicians and composers, especially with those of (Miguel's) caliber," Bates said.
"The music and Chilean culture is definitely going to be exposed, and it's exciting," Cordova said. t&c;
