What they say about the Zampoñistas
What they say about the Zampoñistas
- The Zamponistas create a really
special moment as performers. They appear from nowhere and process
through in a flash of colour and melodic rhythm then disappear through
the crowd or wend their way around a corner leaving a wave of delight
in their wake. It’s like moving meditation. They get up close amongst
us on the street. The effect is rich with surprise and curiosity, arresting
our attention with a moment of spontaneous cheer that’s hard to explain.
The audience unwittingly become part of the performance – and they
love it.
Giselle Nathan, Street Choirs Coordinator, National Folk Festival. - As an MC you get to know lots of acts, and some stand
out. The Zampanistas are the essence of folk, a tribe of
troubadours who are fun, memorable and surprising. They mix traditional
Bolivian attire, vocals, dance and panpipes with aplomb.
The Zampanistas engage you and are welcome on any stage.
Kate Austin, Chief Master of Ceremonies, National Folk Festival - The Zamponistas are a really original roving act that is
both visually striking and musically impressive. I will certainly
be programming them again..
Emily Fuller, Festivals & Events Officer,Darebin Music Feast - Charming, enchanting, engaging. Made me feel like a little kid in wonderment again.
Fay White, Musician, performer, Yackandandah Folk Festival - ‘I’m being followed everywhere by Australian wannabe Peruvians…(then, upon correction from one of the band) …’Oh, you are with them? Oh, I’m so sorry!’ Stephan Grossman
- ‘I think we can say they’re performers’ Port Fairy Folk Festival security guard to another guard.
The Zampoñistas are Australia’s premier Bolivian-style altiplano panpipe marching bands. Yes, they leave all those other Bolivian-style altiplano pan pipe marching band across Australia for dead!
They bring joy, delight, and real fun to their appearances.
Their act is unique. Dressed in Bolivian ponchos and hats, they weave in and out of crowds, twisting, turning and spinning as they play – totally engaging audiences and innocent bystanders alike!
“Zampoñistas” (pronounced zamp-on-yist-as) is Spanish for ‘panpipe players’.
This Melbourne based band is made up of musicians with a passion for
the haunting and exciting panpipe music of the remote altiplano (high
plain) of the Andes.
The Zampoñistas play mostly traditional tunes of the Inca people, and they play it in the pre-Spanish Inca way. This involves a unique and fascinating splitting up of the musical scale so that half the notes are played by one set of players (called Ira) and the other half of the scale are played by the other musicians (called Arca).
The Incas pioneered stereo sound! It creates an exciting dynamic in the music.
The traditional music is often accompanied by the bombo legüero, an ancient
drum with a deep and dark sound due to the fur being left on the hide
of the hitting surface. It may also include a snare drum, adding a raucous
energy to the authentic village music of Bolivia. They also play some
more modern tunes and songs accompanied by the guitar, and tunes
from other cultures. They have worked with the Solomon Islands’ Narasirato
Panpipers. And don’t miss their take on Waltzing Matilda!
The Zampoñistas have performed at major festivals, including the Port Fairy and National Folk Festivals, as well as community festivals and many other events and venues. They have a strong commitment to strengthening community and have supported community activities such as playing at aged care and disability centres, a forum for carers, the Parkinson's Unity walks, school fetes and other fund raising events.
The band’s diverse members are united by three things: their love of
panpipe music, their love of chocolate, and their unstoppable but totally
irrational belief in world domination by panpipes!
. . . And watch out for their guerrilla panpiping!
The band has evolved a unique guerilla panpiping style. Dressed in Bolivian ponchos and hats, they weave in and out of crowds, twisting, turning and spinning as they play - totally engaging audiences and innocent bystanders alike! They may surround you as you sit sipping coffee at a festival or market, or they may pop up in supermarket aisles, or on an escalator!
The Zampoñistas come from a wide variety of musical backgrounds. Several
members play other instruments or sing in community choirs. For others,
playing the panpipes is their breakthrough into public musical performance.
From a pool of around 20 current members, a Zampoñistas performance will
involve anything from 8 to 20 players, depending on availability.
This group of Andean aficionados from Melbourne are mainly gringos, but
do include some authentic South American representation!
Their repertoire includes concert-style stage performances, which include
some background on the music. However, the band’s mainstay is street-style
performances.
