"Bringing the Music Back to Nature": Huilo Huilo Music Festival
Four musicians from the Brussels Philharmonic enter a journey to the Chilean Patagonia to discover untapped local talent and reflect on the importance of nature as a centerpiece of the creative process of an artist.
https://www.huilohuilomusicfestival.com
https://www.brusselsphilharmonic.be
In 2012, as a Faculty Professor at Orchestra of the Americas, Otto Derolez, concertmaster of Brussels Philharmonic, discovered the beauty and musical richness of South America, particularly Chile. Since then, it has been his deepest wish to work with local young musicians, who often live in remote areas and have little or no access to a good music education due to economical or geopolitical obstacles. Together with a Chilean musician and friend, Raul Vergara, Otto launched their first initiative in 2017: the Huilo Huilo International Music Festival.
Meanwhile, this wonderful project has grown into a successful music festival that takes annually place in the breathtaking reserve called Huilo Huilo in the Los Ríos region in Patagonia. A beautiful region full of lakes, volcanoes and gigantic waterfalls. With the direct support of the Reserva Biologica Huilo Huilo, the festival benefits of a splendid infrastructure with excellent rehearsal spaces and its own concert hall, built with materials from the region without harming the natural heritage and beautiful ecosystem of the reserve.
Huilo Huilo International Music Festival has been able to position itself more and more over the years. Thanks to important partnerships, such as with Brussels Philharmonic, the Belgian Embassy in Chile and the logistics partner Casona Cultural de Panguipulli, this outstanding project has become one of the most remarkable string festivals in South America. Today, more than 20 young, promising string players from all over South America are intensively accompanied by 4 coaches, who are string section leaders of Brussels Philharmonic.
