Coro Espol celebrates 27 years of life as a cultural ambassador inside and outside the country

This Tuesday, March 15, the Higher Polytechnic School of the Coast remember a new anniversary of the most emblematic artistic activity for your student life: The Espol Choir. 2022 marks 27 years of life of the cultural proposal that strengthened in 1995 by the former rector of the institution Nelson Cevallos.

Although his initial intention was to offer a face-to-face concert for this date, the Directorate of Art and Culture of the Espol (by architect Blanca Sánchez) will maintain the celebration of the choral group in its virtual channels, to sustain the security measures that have been established with the aim of restricting the advance of the coronavirus pandemic. coronavirus.

In this sense, the institution has prepared a series of video clips on the choir’s trajectory that will be released weekly on the profiles of Facebook and Instagram @espolcultural.

These videos refer to late teacher Byron Sotomayor, who held the direction of the choir since its foundation. “When he passed away in 2017, the choir was left an orphan and entered into a complex transition,” recalls the teacher Earth Angelsconductor, composer and arranger from Guayaquil, who has been a member of the choir since 2011 and assumed the position of director in 2020.

It was thanks to Maestro Sotomayor that Espol Choir it established itself as one of the most important university choirs for the city, whose repertoire includes songs from the Renaissance period to the contemporary. “Its importance is historical, because precisely in the decade that was born, the choirs were consolidated by the hand of the universities”, illustrates Terreros. The other, he says, is that of the University of Guayaquil. “These are the two choirs that have made history in the academic music scene.”

Espol Choir, he adds, has stood out as Ecuador’s artistic ambassador on national and international tours. “He has been to Poland, Mexico, Colombia. Panama, Spain”, mentions the teacher. Furthermore, since 2008 he has hosted the International Festival of Academic Musical Arts (FIAMA), which was held annually until Master Sotomayor fell ill. The purpose of the event was to introduce the public to the different academic genres of music. It started as a local activity and over time it expanded to Quito, Loja, Baños, Riobamba, Azogues and other cities in the country. Among its participants, it summoned delegates from Argentina, Bolivia, Cuba, Mexico, Russia, Ukraine.

Of course, the choir too has an intrinsic importance for its 24 members, polytechnic students with academic loads of all kinds. “It is part of Espol’s vision to establish a Integral educationthat the students have a artistic and sports training”, explains Terreros. “Within this humanistic vision the arts are in a privileged placebecause they train in discipline, co-responsibility, in the commitment that is acquired by belonging to an artistic group and in the responsibility of representing an institution with such prestige”.

For now, the greatest wish of Espol Choir is to resume their presentations. “God allow the pandemic to be controlled. As soon as it was possible for us in 2020, we are active with face-to-face rehearsals with all the biosafety measures, once or twice a week, because it is essential that we can practice together”, clarifies the teacher.

“In 2022 we hope to get closer to the community. Last year we did our first opera gala, this year it is our wish to repeat a second gala. And even if it is within the province, or neighboring provinces, our desire is to travel”. (I)