History
POPAYAN INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL
60 years of strengthening cultural activity in the southwest of Colombia.
The Popayán International Music Festival was born in 1964 realizing the dream of a few young classical & cultural music lovers to share music with others and has continued for the past 60 years. In its long history, the festival has provided more than 4,000 artists, including soloists, chamber ensembles, orchestras, and choirs from 36 countries of the 5 continents, to perform in the capital of Cauca. More than 800 concerts have been held, which have allowed us to present to the public a rich sample of universal musical literature, including the world and national premieres of many works.
4,000+
ARTISTS
36
COUNTRIES
800+
CONCERTS
In terms of promoting national talent, the Festival has been the stage for premiering several works by Colombian composers.. The Festival has taken this repertoire to churches, parks, coliseums, cultural centers and theaters, always seeking to create spaces for all audiences to enjoy live performances and world class music performances. Year after year, at least 80% of these activities are free of charge and open to the general public.
With 60 years of continuous performances, the Festival is foundational in the Americas receiving national and international prestige and bringing many international artists of the highest reputation to Colombia.
In addition to the support of the Colombian government through the Ministry of Culture, the State of Cauca and the Mayor’s Office of Popayán, the Festival has also enjoyed the support of embassies from countries such as the United States, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Mexico, among others. It has also been supported by many Colombian private corporations. Through the Popayán International Music Festival, the Colombian state of Cauca supports the promotion of musical activity in a region with great difficulties in promoting access to this type of activity for the population of Colombia.
In our 60 year years of history, we have gone from being the organizers of a great event to a cultural organization that is expanding to create new opportunities for the cultural sector of Cauca.
This brief reference to the work of the Popayán International Music Festival shows not only that it is a participatory, democratic and pluralistic event, but also that today it has become an asset of exceptional universal value from the point of view of history and, as such, a source of great national pride, being the oldest music festival in the Americas and the third oldest in the world to be held without interruption, facts that have led it to be declared a National Cultural Heritage by Law 891 of 2004 of the Congress of the Republic of Colombia.
“One of the reasons why people should have access to different cultural forms and visions is because it gives them more creative tools to express themselves, while giving them greater well-being and aesthetic and spiritual pleasure. Music not only preserves histories and traditions; it also makes for better human beings. Cultural expressions not only bring back the past, they enrich the present”: Colombian Constitutional Court, Ruling C-054 of 2013.
