Music Conservatory to be Established in Acapulco
(Taxco, ElSur 15 July) Eduardo Álvarez, the director of the Acapulco Philharmonic Orchestra, was in Taxco this week for the International Guitar Festival, where he qualified in the soloist competition. Afterwards, he told the press about his plan to establish the Guerrero Music Conservatory by the end of the year or by early 2012. No decision has been taken whether to put it in Chilpancingo or in Acapulco. Chilpancingo is the capital of the state, but Acapulco will be the home of most of the students and faculty. Álvarez explained, “Acapulco and Guerrero have many talented musicians, and they can develop here, up to a certain point. But when they reach professional grade, they have to go elsewhere to continue their development. Now they will have their own top-notch academic institution for music, right here in Guerrero.”
The project depends upon support from the Guerrero state government, which also underwrites most of the cost of the Acapulco Philharmonic. According to Álvarez, Governor Aguirre is interested in, and committed to, the music conservatory project. Funding has not officially been made available. This will depend upon resources available to the state Secretary of Education, and ultimately, to a legislative authorization.
Funding, however, is not the most difficult task. “The hardest thing we have to do is obtain professors. Fortunately here we have 82 members of the Philharmonic … who are specialists and soloists and who can flesh out the faculty.” Other teachers, for example, of guitar and voice, would have to come from outside the state. Currently the administrators of the nascent institution are going through all of the procedures to be able to confer degrees, like other music conservatories, in the various instruments, voice, direction and composition.
Maestro Álvarez also founded the Margarito Damián Vargas School of Music in Chilpancingo, which advances young musicians of junior high and high school age, and is also supported with funds from the state government.
