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Cosquin Festival


The Cosquin Folk Festival is one of the most important folk music festivals of Argentina, and most important in Latin America.

It lasts 9 days and takes place in the second half of January in the city of Cosquin, a scenic, Punilla Valley location in Cordoba Province. The tradition used to refer to nine moons of Cosquin.

History

The first Festival was held Cosquin between 21 and 29 January 1961. The initiative came from a group of city residents led by Dr. Reinaldo Wisner and Dr. Alejandro Guinder, who decided to organize a folklore music and culture show during the summer holidays, in order to attract tourism. The presence of renowned artists from around the country exceeded all expectations, and the festival became the largest annual folk event in the country, as well as one of the most important in Latin America.

The Cosquin Festival unfolded into a boom of folklore music in the 1960s and '70s, becoming the nation's best-known venue for the characteristic music of the Argentine hinterland . Cosquin prompted a renewal of the powerful local folk music among younger listeners in particular, and has persisted in the Argentine musical scene since.

Its organizers then had the good sense to organize Cosquin Festival, not only as a musical competition, but as an integral folk experience, centered on the famous "rocks folk" outside the official event in which musicians all backgrounds and freely sing all night, until the candles do not burn".

Since the second edition of the festival in 1962, the important Radio Belgrano of Buenos Aires and a network of stations nationwide, began broadcasting Nine Cosquin Moons live, familiarizing millions of listeners in the far-flung country to the festival. After the success of the third edition, President Jose Maria Guido, by Decree 1547/63, designated the last week of January as National Folklore Week, and established its headquarters at Cosquin.

Since then the festival has grown in Cosquin national and international repercussions. The Organization of American States (OAS) decided to become a sponsor in recognition of the festival's importance to the culture of the Americas. The Museum of Mankind in Paris has filmed and recorded the festival's multifaceted popular expressions. In Germany, the city of Stuttgart has given the name "Cosquin" to one of its stages, and in 1981, the Japanese city of Kawamata began organizing a festival called "Japan in Cosquin", held annually in October.

Julio Maharbiz, the festival's master of ceremonies since 1963, became known for his call at each of the opening nights of the festival's seasons: aquiii Cosquiiiinnnn , the inspiration for which Maharbiz attributed to a style used by a popular football sportscaster at the time, Fioravanti. La Voz del Interior (12/22/2009)

In 1967, renowned guitarist Atahualpa Yupanqui won the first prize at the festival and in 1972, a newly completed stage was named in his honor. A feature documentary on the festival, Mire que es lindo mi pais (''My Country's Beautiful) was produced in 1981 From 1984, on the occasion of the 24th Festival of Cosquin, the public television station Argentina Televisora Color (ATC), now Channel 7, began broadcasting live throughout the country the first two hours of eachmoon, thus helping popularize the event among television viewers.

Throughout its history Cosquin has been the definitive place to leverage the success of the most important artists of the folk music of Argentina, including Mercedes Sosa, Eduardo Falu, Los Chalchaleros, Los Fronterizos, Los Cantores Del Alba, Los Cuatro de Cordoba, Los Tucu Tucu, Los de Salta, Ramona Galarza, Maria Ofelia, Soledad Pastorutti, Argentino Luna, Gustavo Leguizamon, Antonio Tormo, and, among many others, comic narrator Luis Landriscina and Los Indios Tacunau, a duo who became known for their rousing rendition of the patriotic San Lorenzo March.

In 2001, a new arena was completed, with a 50 meter-long stage totaling and 830 m in surface area. The stage can rotate 180 degrees to expedite the schedule of performances.

With this infrastructure, Cosquin currently has one of the largest stages in Latin America. In total, the amphitheater has a capacity of nearly 10,000 spectators, of whom 7800 sitting in the seats of the central field, and 2,000 people are located on both side galleries.

The Atahualpa Yupanqui Stage is located on Prospero Molina Square. This site was named after one of the founders of Cosquin, who lived between 1827 and 1889.

Cosquin Nine Moons

The Cosquin Nine Moonsare organized as an experience that has its center at the festival, but goes beyond it to become a truly integral folk experience.

Some of the activities taking place during the nine days are:

Cosquin Festival of Song

Performances by professional folklorists.

Performances of folk dance ballets.

The famous "boulders": tents where artists interact with the public, as well as tents and bonfires by the river, where revelers sing and dance nonstop.

The Congress of Man in Argentina and Our Culture: There are courses and workshops for children and adults. Expose and teach artisans, artists, scholars, scientists. It offers courses in native languages such as Quechua and Guarani.

The Augusto Raul Cortazar National Exhibition of Crafts and Folk Art, named after one of the most important scholars of Argentine folklore.

That spirit that characterizes folk Cosquin in nine days and nights the festival that lasts has been dubbed theduende coscoino("Cosquin elf").

Ode to Cosquin

The Cosquin Festival was honored with a hymn composed by Zulema Alcayaga and Waldo Belloso. The final stanza of the hymn reads:

The bells soar to the sky

Repeating the name that unites us:

Cosquin, Cosquin, Cosquin, Cosquin,

Cosquin, Cosquin.

Come see the miracle

''Cosquin starts singing.

See also

Folklore

Argentine culture

Tourism in Argentina

Cosquin Rock

External links

Official Site of Folklore Festival Cosquin

Cosquin unofficial site

Ode to Cosquin

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Cosquin Festival


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