Maestro Luis Alfredo Gavilano

This weekend, the College was honored with a visit by musician and composer Luis Alfredo Gavilano, who gave a talk about the Bolivian composer/artist Alfredo Dominguez.


Photo: Luis Alfredo Gavilano, during a concert at Rincón Munaypata (photo by Hye-Jung Park)

Alfredo Dominguez, an amazing self-taught Bolivian artist, is known mostly for his original music for the guitar, with many recordings and public performances, but also for painting and poetry. Maestro Luis Alfredo played some of his music to demonstrate the creativity of Dominguez and his representations of Bolivia.

Young people here, as everywhere, are drawn to popular music, even American pop -- you can often hear Justin Bieber and Jennifer Lopez coming from our students' dormitories. It was great to see them fascinated by a Bolivian artist that reflects so much of their history, of the past of their mothers and fathers.

__________________


Here is a biography of Luis Alfredo Gavilano, and some of his music. Here is a biography of Alfredo Dominguez (in Spanish).

Busy few days

It was a very busy few days at the College. The nurses had their capping ceremony, here with their class president giving thanks to the people who have helped them in their efforts to become professionals...




...and a grad from the College gave a talk about the new agricultural law, the Community-based Revolution of Agricultural Production law, passed in 2011. Juan Carlos Ballivián works for the Ministry of Land and Rural Development, and talked to over 100 agronomy students who were curious about the future of Bolivian agriculture.




New graduate Eddy Pampa also defended his research project about erosion control in coffee fields, and will be working as a rural credit agent here in the yungas where he grew up.




The La Paz Sur chapter of the Rotary Club also came by for a visit, interested in seeing how the College's recycling program is coming along (Rotary financed our recycling center in the community of Carmen Pampa), and see how we can collaborate in the future.




It was an amazing few days.