His first public presentation of Coro Universidad Austral de Chile - Valdivia (= Coro UACh) dates back to the beginning of the University when on March 12, 1955 it appeared at the founding ceremony of the Corporación. Its directors have been Donald Little, Franklin Thon, Hugo Muñoz (1974-2018) and currently the director, Dr. Hingrid Kujawinski.
Coro UACh's work has focused preferably on the south, despite having appeared several times in the Metropolitan Region and in almost the entire country, reaching Argentina and Germany. It has performed important symphonic-choral works presenting them for the first time in his area of influence together with the most well-known national instrumental groups such as the Orquestas Sinfónicas de Chile, Concepción, La Serena, V Región, Nacional Juvenil, Universidad Mayor, Orquesta de Cámara de Chile, Orquesta Moderna de Santiago, Filarmónica de Temuco, Filarmónica Regional de Valdivia, Orquesta Clásica de Valdivia, Orquesta de la Universidad Austral plus performance with the Schöneberger Kammerorchester in Berlin and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Neuquén, performing under the baton Chilean conductors such as Víctor Tevah, Fernando Rosas, Belfort Ruz, David Ayma, Eduardo Moubarak, Cristóbal Urrutia and foreigners such as José Carlos Santos (Peru), Mario Videla (Argentina), Irwing Hoffmann (USA), Nikolas Rauss (Switzerland), Eduardo Ribeiro (Brazil), Sabine Wüsthoff (Germany) among others. In 2005 the Choir performed J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion BWV 245 together with the Schöneberger Kammerorchester of Berlin in Valdivia, Temuco, Chillán and Valparaíso in an unprecedented experience of Chilean-German musical integration, and in 2008 it performed in Germany with a Chilean repertoire and W.A. Mozart's Misa Longa together with said German orchestra and soloists. The Choir received the Premio Encina from Grupo Cámara Chile "for its outstanding work in the regions, its sense of self-improvement and its constant desire to spread the values of collective singing." Between 2001 and 2017, it performed the "La Juventud con Mozart" concert cycle and between 1992 and 2017 it was active on the Carretera Austral thanks to a Fondart project created by director Hugo Muñoz and which gave rise to the Asociación Coral Carretera Austral currently in full development of choral singing in the south of the country.
Since May 2018, Coro UACh director is Dr. Hingrid Kujawinski, who brings the experience acquired in Brazil and the USA to the Choir. Since her arrival, the Choir has premiered contemporary works in Chile, such as Steve Dobrogosz' Mass in 2018, and Will Todd's Mass in Blues in 2019. Currently the Coro UACh is made up of different casts and repertoires, according to the level of experience in choral singing and vocal technique of those interested in singing. Special emphasis is given to the university character, activating participation modalities for the students of the University, including its consideration in the undergraduate curricular offer. |