Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"The pulse of the Andes: An ancient culture thrives in San Antonio - Texas trough the music of WAYANAY INKA from Peru." - Sallyanne Holtz
"Emerging from the heart of Inka culture of South America is WAYANAY INKA - a musical group that has attained an international reputation as an exponent of Andean music." - Marla Dial
"The spiritual power of music, and in particular, the music of WAYANAY INKA, was in evidence here, at the University of Houston. Their close-knit community and their common goals to a philosophy of music making combine to produce a cohesive and powerful experience for the listener. Because they live the music spiritually and physically, they are able to convey the music a very meaningful way to the audience. Any university o community who is really interested in addressing multiculturalism from an experiential perspective should definitely consider bringing this very talented group to share their talents with them." - Lisa Carol Hardaway
Discography
1989 "SALGAN MUCHACHAS"
1990 "LA PAMPA Y LA PUNA"
1991 "QUENAS"
1993 "ANDES COSMOS"
1994 "CHRISTMAS COLLECTIONS"
1995 "THE FLIGHT OF THE CONDOR"
1996 " . . . De Los Andes"
1998 "ENCHANTED FEELINGS"
2000 " Christmas with W. I."
2003 "ANDEAN WORLD"
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The musical group WAYANAY INKA comes from Peru, heart of the Inka culture in South America. Originating in 1984, they have established an international reputation as among the finest and most exciting exponents of Andean music.
They play the music of the Andes Mountains and all of Latin America. The group performs traditional songs that the musicians rearrange to create a unique style, and original compositions, delighting all the senses with sights and sounds that will captivate the audience. On regular basis, WAYANAY INKA presents full-scale stage productions and plays for concerts, museums, universities, schools, theaters, shopping centers, clubs, restaurants and private parties.
WAYANAY INKA plays the zampoñas or sikus, canes panpipes made of bamboo reeds tied together, with each reed tuned to a specific note. The quenas, vertical-notched reed flutes originally made from animal bones or bamboo. The charango, a ten-string native guitar-like instrument made of either of wood or from an armadillo's shell. The Spanish guitar integrated and developed as part of the folk music. The bombo, a tree trunk drum that anchors the rhythm with patient and echoing beats. The cha'jchas, a percussion instrument made from sheep's hooves dried in the sun, oiled and sewn into a wrist cloth.
They combine the skills and musical insights of four talented artists: José Albornoz, Gerardo Tovar, Dante Montoya and Luis Tovar. They learned to play their instruments and the Andean music as a traditional transmission from their grandfathers.
The Quechua word Wayanay means "swallow." It is also the name of an ancient rural community located in the heights of the Andes, far removed from the reaches of technology. This community endures to this day, vigorously full of life, alongside the rain and the snow, next to the fire of the sunset, reaching out through the years for a better tomorrow.
WAYANAY INKA defines its mission this way: "Our intention is to express through our song, not only the customs, ways of life, and images of the Andean culture, but also to fully reflect the people who inhabit these lands, sometimes happy, sometimes full of pain and sorrow, yet always with their hearts full of hope. Experience has shown that the music of the people reflects their innermost being. This is why we feel compelled to allow our songs, with their poetry, to become merged with our people's historical journey."
Through this profound expression of feeling and deep identification with the folkways of the Andes, WAYANAY INKA seeks to lift up this music of the Andes to the highest plane, national and international, playing in festivals, fairs, theaters, and plazas in countless places, revealing in every presentation the passion they feel for their cultural roots.
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