Inca Son

NEW PORT RICHEY --
The sound of pan flutes and Spanish guitars floated over the audience as South American band Inca Son took the stage last week at the Center for the Arts at River Ridge.

"Music and Dance of the Andes" was performed for local elementary school students last Thursday as part of Cambridge, Mass.-based Inca Son's international tour. They performed both traditional songs and original compositions on wooden instruments they make themselves.

Students, intrigued by a form of traditional music that most had never heard before, sat quietly through the free performance, their eyes glued to the colorful ponchos of Inca Son's members. When Inca Son member Omar Clavijo asked them to join in, they gleefully clapped their hands over their heads and wiggled in their seats to the beat.

After each song, Clavijo would interact with students in the audience, asking them to name what instruments they were playing. He and his colleagues told the students about Andean culture and how the music evolved beyond the flutes, pipes and native drums of the Inca to include instruments like the Spanish guitar.

"We want to show the students a little bit of the culture, the lifestyle, our music," Clavijo said. "To let the rest of the world know about the Inca culture."

Although some 500 years ago the Inca Empire was a large and flourishing civilization that covered parts of what are now Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, it did not survive the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors in the 16th century.

Today, the culture is kept alive in the Andean mountains by descendants of the Inca who wear ponchos to keep warm and perform modernized rituals inspired by their ancestors.

"I hope this prompts these students to explore multicultural sounds out there," said Tom Gale, the director of the Center for the Arts.

Jamie Pinto, 10, a home-schooled student, normally listens to pop music like Taylor Swift and One Direction but enjoyed her front-row seat to the live multicultural music, saying it was "very cool."

"It was wonderful," said Jamie's mother, Leigh DeVoe. "It was the first show like this we've seen."

Inca Son has had more than 25 years of experience performing in countries all over the world. Members have come and gone but at least one original member, Santos Alva, has been their since the beginning.

"I enjoy when I play," Alva said. "I enjoy it from the bottom of my heart."

Pasco's Center for the Art's at River Ride is a school board-funded institute that brings in professional musical programming for students at discounted prices to introduce them to "the wonder of live entertainment," Gale said.

Schools groups, such as Gulf Middle School's glee club, are also given access to the center's resources to put on performances. The Center for the serves 40 schools, plus homeschooled students, and their sister center in Wesley Chapel also serves 40 schools.

For each performance, the center lists study guides and links to the performers' and kid-friendly websites that parents, students and teachers can follow as a supplement to their education.

"We're not promoting coming here to have a good time although we hope that everyone does," Gale said. "We want to move them, educate them and jazz them up."

Eventually, Gale said, the center would like to be able to offer students a certificate program to help them get behind-the-scenes technical jobs with employers like Busch Gardens or Universal Orlando.

Tickets are still available for "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" on Feb.13 and for "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" on April 9. River Ridge High School's drama department will also be presenting "Grease" Feb. 22, 23 and 24 for $5 for students and $8 for general admission.

The Center for the Arts at River Ridge is on the campus of River Ridge Middle-High School, 11646 Town Center Road. For tickets or information call the box office at (727) 774-7381. Shows and times are also listed on the website at http://rrhs.pasco.k12.fl.us/theater/cfa_welcome.html.

dmiller@suncoastnews.com (727) 815-1067. - Suncoast News

Distiguen a Grupo Inca Son por su éxito en el extranjero
29 octubre 2012


César Villalobos, músico, compositor y director de la exitosa agrupación Inca Son, fue premiado por la ONG Anna Lindh en el “V Encuentro de Peruanos Emprendedores y Exitosos Residentes en el Exterior” en la categoría artistas peruanos exitosos, realizado en las instalaciones un conocido hotel.

Cesar Villalobos, natural de la provincia de Ascope, en la región la libertad, se hizo justo ganador en esta premiación, por su amplio listado de reconocimientos a nivel mundial, con su agrupación Inca Son, una agrupación peruana que presenta la música y danza de toda América latina, fundada hace veinticinco años en Boston Massachusetts, EE.UU.

Inca Son tiene una trayectoria internacional que incluye giras en países como Rusia Italia, Suiza, Canadá entre otros; además, tiene en su haber presentaciones en los más prestigiosos escenarios, entre los que destacan: El Carnegi hall (new York), en los juegos olímpicos de Atlanta, Georgia, La Casa Blanca Presidencial y el museo indio Smithsoniano (washin, DC).

Entre los premios más destacados de Inca Son resaltan: el premio de música de Boston; 2007 premio de música independiente, por “mejor canción mundial”; 2008 premio de música de los Ángeles (California), como “mejor artista de la música mundial” y el Premio “Estrella de Oro” ambos en EE. UU.; Asimismo, Inca Son ha recibido múltiples elogios de Los Times y Boston Herald, entre otros medios.

La labor de Villalobos no culmina aquí, pues su alta sensibilidad humanitaria y el recuerdo de su infancia en extrema pobreza, lo ha llevado a colaborar en importantes obras sociales en el mundo. En el Perú entre las obras que destaca es la creación de un parque recreacional para los niños de su natal Ascope, y además de una casa de la cultura con estudios gratuitos para los niños sin recursos en la misma ciudad.


Etiquetas:: Artistas Peruanos, Inca Son, Musica Andina, V Encuentro de Peruanos Emprendedores y Exitosos Residentes en el Exterior
- Chaski Radio (Peru)

Inca Son artist residency brings Peruvian culture to KSU
Residency part of KSU’s “Year of Peru”


By Johanna Brown


Inca Son member during KSU performance.

Photo by Sandra Bird
Sept. 21 and 22, Peruvian music and dance ensemble, Inca Son, participated in a residency in the College of the Arts. Interweaving lessons on Andean culture with flute demonstrations and skillful storytelling, Inca Son led workshops for more than 1,000 students in theater and performance studies, music and visual arts appreciation classes.

In addition, the ensemble taught a master class for dance majors, where students learned traditional dances. Inca Son’s residency culminated in a concert at the Bailey Performance Center.

Founded by Cesar Villalobos, Inca Son has performed around the world, including Carnegie Hall, the United Nations and the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian.

Inca Son’s residency is part of Kennesaw State’s “Year of Peru,” a yearlong interdisciplinary program designed to connect KSU and the community with cultures around the world. - Kennesaw State University, College for the Arts

The 2012–2013 VIVA! & Gala season launches on Friday, October 26 with a high-energy, interactive performance by Inca Son (Sound of the Inca). Audience members will have the unique chance to hear and see the traditional music, dance, and attire of an ancient Andean culture renowned for its vibrancy and sophistication.



Inca Son’s visit will also help inaugurate the exciting new exhibition Wari: Lords of the Ancient Andes. The Wari civilization is considered to have been Peru’s first empire, preceding the famous Inca Empire from which Inca Son derives their inspiration. In addition to their Friday performance, Inca Son will perform on Sunday, October 28 at the museum’s atrium opening celebration, when the free Wari exhibition will also open to the public.

In anticipation of their multi-day visit to the Cleveland Museum of Art, we spoke with Inca Son’s manager, Marianne Ruggiero, about the group’s origins and mission.

Q: Tell us about the origins of the group, and about the members and where they come from.

A: Inca Son began in Harvard Square, the heart of Cambridge, MA, where the band was living. The head of the brand-new band, Cesar Villalobos, chose to settle in Cambridge because of the lure of Harvard University. Cesar grew up in a very poor family where 5 of 13 siblings died in childhood from illnesses related to malnutrition. He excelled in school, but as a child dropped out and went to work at odd jobs to earn money for the family. He had always dreamed of having higher education, becoming a doctor. For him, Harvard University represented an academic dream. Years later, he was invited to give a lecture at Harvard. And when the group celebrated its 20th anniversary, they chose Harvard’s famed Sanders Theatre as the location.

When the group first started playing in Harvard Square, Andean folk music was new to the area (now there are several such groups in the Boston area). There was always a crowd around these long-haired musicians from the Andes, who played their lively tunes in all kinds of weather. They soon got invited to give concerts (indoors!), in state, then out of state, and eventually in acclaimed theaters and other venues, nationally and internationally. Their recording career started of course with tapes, and then CDs, of which they have recorded 13. Their song “Trip through the Andes Mountains,” composed by Cesar, won the Independent Music Award for Best World Traditional Song in 2007.

The members of Inca Son include founder/director Cesar Villalobos, who plays the pan flutes, composes, and sings. The guitarist is Santos Alva, who hails from Ascope, Peru, like Cesar. They are childhood friends. The kena (Andean flute) player is Ivan Tito from Potosi, Bolivia. The charango (Andean guitar) player is Rene Quisbert, of La Paz, Bolivia.

Q: Inca Son are cultural ambassadors and “bearers of the Inca musical legacy.” How do you stay close to these roots and channel this ancient civilization?

A: Cesar grew up in a musical family. They were not professional musicians, but there was always singing, dancing, and appreciation for Andean folk music, which is passed down from one generation to another. In this way, the Inca musical legacy has been kept alive. We know that the pan flutes, kenas, and bombos (drums) played by Inca Son were played by their Inca ancestors, and many centuries before, when they were buried with high-ranking officials. Inca Son, in the face of industrialized, digitized societies, strives to preserve an ancient musical tradition through its concerts and educational programs for people of all ages, but most importantly for young people.

Q: What is something audiences should look forward to seeing or hearing at the Cleveland performance?

A: Inca Son performances are typically high energy. The musicians always draw the audience in by virtue of their vibrant music, dazzling costumes, and warm personalities. The songs are typically called out from the stage and explained to the audience, the dances as well. Our goal is to provide (as a Boston Herald reporter once said) a “banquet for the eyes and ears,” an experience that people will enjoy and remember long after the curtain falls. So audiences should look forward to having a great time and even (if they wish) to joining us for a dance on stage during the last song.

For more details about Inca Son’s VIVA! & Gala performance at the Cleveland Museum of Art and to purchase tickets, visit our Web site.

– Caroline Smith - Cleveland Museum of Art

Inca Son: El regreso de un grupo que nunca se fue
Jueves, 05 de Julio de 2012 20:47




Trujillo, PRF.- Han pasado 25 años desde que un entusiasta joven, que tenía el pelo más corto y muchas preocupaciones encima, decidió iniciar una aventura junto a otros amigos que tenían algo en común, su gusto por la música.

César Villalobos, nacido en un pequeño pueblo de la provincia de Ascope viajó a los Estados Unidos, específicamente a la ciudad de Boston y ahí fundó un grupo al que llamó Inca Son. En la actualidad convertido en una institución que difunde el folklore peruano en diversas partes del mundo.

Orgulloso de su patria y emocionado de regresar por estas tierras peruanas, César nos cuenta toda la trayectoria del grupo conformado por peruanos pero fundado en otras tierras.

¿Cómo nace Inca Son?
Bueno yo me fui como danzarín, bailaba con "Matices Peruanos", después participé en el grupo Fortaleza junto a Ramiro de la Cerda, Fernando Torrico y Rolando Malpartida, luego ellos se fueron a los Kjarkas y me quedé solo, por lo que decidí empezar Inca Son con músicos peruanos.
Inca Son nace exactamente en 1987 en la ciudad de Boston (Estados Unidos), empezamos como dúo, luego trío y así fuimos creciendo para convertirnos en lo que ahora somos toda una corporación de música y danza.

¿Y tú dónde naciste?
En un lugar conocido como El Potrero de los Piscos y estudié en una escuelita de Ascope, pero tuve que salir muy joven para ayudar a mi familia pues éramos 13 hermanos. Empecé a viajar y hasta llegué a trabajar de guía turístico por ello llegué a conocer muchas partes del Perú.
Finalmente me decidí a salir del Perú y llegué a Estados Unidos.

¿Cómo te nace la idea de dedicarte a la música estando tan lejos?
Desde pequeño me gustaba cantar, escribir poemas y canciones. Además llevo el arte en la sangre porque mis tíos eran cantantes y por eso me decidí a trabajar en la música.
A ello se suma que sentí la necesidad de hacer algo por mi país pues añoraba mucho mi tierra.

¿Cuál fue tu primera composición?
El primer tema que compuse estando fuera del Perú fue "Ascope tierra del amanecer" que se volvió un himno en mi tierra, Ascope.

¿Cómo nace el nombre Inca Son?
Tenía que ponerle un nombre que tenga sentido en los dos idiomas, "son" en inglés significa hijo y completada con Inca se puede entender como "Hijos del Inca" porque así nos consideramos.
Pero Son también tiene referencia al ritmo por ello el nombre de Inca Son quiere dar a entender "Ritmo del Inca".
En un inicio habíamos pensado incluso en llamarnos Inca Sol pero nos quedamos con Inca Son.

¿Hace cuánto tiempo que no volvías por el Perú?
La última vez que vine fue en el 2006 invitado por el entonces presidente Alejandro Toledo para el lanzamiento oficial de El día de la canción andina.

¿Qué logros puedes destacar de Inca Son?
Gracias a Dios tenemos grandes reconocimientos como por ejemplo ser reconocido como el mejor grupo cultural educativo en los Estados Unidos.
Hemos tocado para miles de alumnos de diversos, colegios y universidades. Llegamos a conseguir premios internacionales con canciones como "Viaje a la montaña" y "El abuelito".
También compusimos algunas canciones para películas, una de las más recordadas es la que hicimos para la película "Cuando el cielo llora" que habla sobre el atentado de las torres gemelas.

¿Alguna presentación próxima en el Perú?
El 19 de julio estaremos compartiendo escenario con la cantante criolla Lucía de la Cruz, en el Centro de Convenciones María Angola de Miraflores para celebrar sus 50 años de vida artística. Ahí estaremos compartiendo con todos nuestros compatriotas los éxitos de Inca Son y así esperamos que poco a poco nos conozcan más en nuestro país.

¿Qué otras actividades realizas junto a Inca Son?
Somos profesores, damos clases de música y danza en escuelas universidades y colegios de Estados Unidos.
Particularmente yo he participado en algunas películas como "La piedra mágica" donde hago el papel de un indio curandero.

¿Qué artistas pasado por Inca Son?
Fernando Torrico tocó con nosotros algunas veces, también el gran José Meza, el desaparecido Arturo Flores Miranda, Ricardo Silva e incluso Max Castro estuvo con nosotros cuando tenía 11 años.

¿Qué hacen actualmente?
Ya hemos sacado el disco "Alegría" que tiene ritmos tropicales muy movidos y es el primer disco bilingüe pues las canciones se pueden escuchar en español e inglés.
Este nuevo trabajo pronto podrán tenerlo en el Perú, mientras tanto estamos trabajando en nuestro próximo disco instrumental denominado "El triunfo del amor" que esperamos salga en dos meses más.

¿Qué mensaje darías a los peruanos que están fuera de nuestra patria?
Que no se olviden de nuestras raíces y que inculquen en sus hijos nuestras costumbres y tradiciones para que nunca se deje de lado nuestra cultura que tiene tanta riqueza.

Con 14 discos grabados Inca Son se ha convertido en toda una institución que - Peru Folk Radio

Uploaded by ProvidenceJournal on Apr 4, 2012

4.4.2012: The sixth annual Global Fest at Roger Williams University with students from Panama, Columbia, Brazil, Venezuela, Korea, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Russia, Spain, and Portugal who showed item and food at tables representing their countries. The Peruvian band Inca Son performed.
Providence Journal video by Kathy Borchers
- Providence Journal

In addition to all the craftspeople filling the Field House and their respective crafts were performers sharing their culture through dance and music. Among such notable performances as the Haudenosunee Singers and Dancers, Ike Hopper and Corn Bred was Inca Son, a group that performs the music and dance of the Andes. Inca Son has won numerous awards and distinctions over the years for their work and has even performed at the 2002 Winter Olympics. These performances all exemplified Native culture and greatly added to the overall learning experience.
"My favorite performance was probably the traditional Andean music group, Inca Son," senor and Treasurer of the Native American Student Association Stephanie Tubman said.
"Considering that resume, we should be honored to have had them at Colgate. I had never heard them before this weekend. All the musical artists at the festival were great, but Inca Son's performance especially had a powerfully moving, mysterious, and positive energy about it," he said. - Maroon News (Colgate University)

Carlos Carmelo, Hispanic day parade in New York with PERUVIAN MUSIC ( MUSICA PERUANA ) Carlos Carmelo,Performing with Inca Son group in Manhattan 5AV. N.Y. USA. - Latino Americans

Inca Son artist residency brings Peruvian culture to KSU
Residency part of KSU’s “Year of Peru”


By Johanna Brown


Inca Son member during KSU performance.

Photo by Sandra Bird

Sept. 21 and 22, Peruvian music and dance ensemble, Inca Son, participated in a residency in the College of the Arts. Interweaving lessons on Andean culture with flute demonstrations and skillful storytelling, Inca Son led workshops for more than 1,000 students in theater and performance studies, music and visual arts appreciation classes.

In addition, the ensemble taught a master class for dance majors, where students learned traditional dances. Inca Son’s residency culminated in a concert at the Bailey Performance Center.

Founded by Cesar Villalobos, Inca Son has performed around the world, including Carnegie Hall, the United Nations and the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian.

Inca Son’s residency is part of Kennesaw State’s “Year of Peru,” a yearlong interdisciplinary program designed to connect KSU and the community with cultures around the world.
- KSU College of the Arts

Publicado el 12-20-2006
INCA SON gana Certamen Mundial


César Villalobos, director de Inca Son

En los primeros días de Diciembre, Music Resource Group, anunció los ganadores de la 6ta. Premiación de Música Independiente (Annual Independent Music Awards) en New Jersey. En la Categoría Música Tradicional Mundial (World Traditional) ganó la canción “Viaje a la Montaña”, un hermoso tema instrumental compuesto por César Villalobos, director de Inca Son, grupo de música andina radicado en Boston. Los ganadores fueron seleccionados por un panel de jueces compuesto por músicos célebres como Peter Gabriel, Suzanne Vega, Cyndi Lauper y Africa Bambaata. Y también consideraron la votación del público por medio del internet. Los temas ganadores serán compilados en producciones que se venderán en las librerías Borders y se incluirán en el Musician Atlas, la guía mas importante sobre músicos independientes.

(Informe y foto de Marianne Ruggier: mruggier@risd.edu. Mas de Inca Son en www.incason.com)

N.de R.- De parte de IDENTIDAD LATINA felicitaciones a César Villalobos y al Grupo Inca Son.
6 Responses for "INCA SON gana Certamen Mundial"

Carlos A Quiroz diciembre 22nd, 2006 at 12:32 am
Felicitaciones a Inca Son y a Cesar Villalobos por este exito. Nos llena de orgullo a los peruanos que vivimos en EEUU. Kausachum Peru!

Jojo diciembre 30th, 2006 at 7:57 pm
Congradulation!!! It’s a very good music which give a good feeling, and make dream. I love it. Continue again…Inca Son and Cesar Villalobos.

Anonymous enero 16th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
hola cesar villalobos soy tu coteranio de ascope y se de las penurias que pasates. siempre luchado logrando metas participando en festivales junto con tu madre la sra. Isidora. sabes me llena de orgullo que triunfes y nunca te olvides de ascope.atte. Ivan Paredes Muñoz

anibal octubre 21st, 2008 at 5:23 am
hola primo shilve te saluda tu primo anibal desde madrid-españa para felicitarte por tus exitos. espero que te comuniques con nosotros,estoy con mi hermano teofilo y un saludo para INTI que deve de estarjoven.

anibal octubre 21st, 2008 at 5:26 am
hola primo shilve te saluda tu primo anibal desde madrid-españa para felicitarte por tus exitos. espero que te comuniques con nosotros,estoy con mi hermano teofilo y un saludo para INTI que deve de estarjoven. anibal@1968.hotmail.es

Americo Gomez Gomez agosto 20th, 2010 at 10:49 am
sinceros y coodiales saludos
recuerda siempre que estamos en deuda con nuestro culculicote .
ya me comunique con la familia del norte y espero novedades pára estos dias
no se deben de perder mas de 20 años de lucha y sacrificios.
coordiales saludos AMERICO - Identidad Latina

ORIGINS: Traditional Music of the Andes

The Inca Empire did not have an especially long run on the world stage, from about 1438 to 1533, but it certainly was vast--encompassing the modern countries of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, and parts of Chile, Argentina, and Colombia. With a population of roughly 15 million, the Inca Empire was about the size of the 13 original American colonies in 1776. And yet the forces of Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro conquered the empire with essentially a single battle.

The Spanish conquest of the Incas inaugurated the all-too-common colonial process of political, social and cultural oppression. Though the Spanish colonists and their Catholic clergy did their best to obliterate the Inca culture, it has shown a remarkable resilience and capacity for adaptation, particularly the region's musical traditions. Those traditions are probably the oldest in Latin America.

Panpipes are the most characteristic and widely known element of the music of the Andes (think groups like Inti-Illimani or Sukay), but they don't tell the whole story. The earliest ensembles in the region likely consisted of drums, panpipes (known locally as antaras or zampoñas) and notched-end wooden flutes (quenas) and accompanied singers and dancers. Large marching bands of panpipes and drums existed before the Spanish conquest and their musical descendants are still active in the area around Lake Titicaca.

Traditional music from the Andes today consists of several closely related styles. Many people in the U.S. were first exposed to this sound by the 1970 Simon & Garfunkel hit "El Condor Pasa," a yaravi (a kind of slow, sad song from pre-conquest times) composed in 1781 to mark the death of the last member of the Incan royal family.

Huayno music, described by one critic as "an unmistakable dance rhythm reminiscent of a hopped-up waltz," is the music of the Quechua people, the descendants of the Inca. This style is native to the mountains of Peru, but has spread throughout the region since the 1950s, when the Quechua started coming down from the mountains for jobs in cities like Lima.

The more traditional of the orquestas típicas that play this style use violins, harps, guitars and charangos (a mandolin-like instrument made from an armadillo shell), but urban groups have also added saxophones, trumpets and clarinets to the mix. Leading vocalists in this style include Flor Pucariña, Picaflor de los Andes, Florcita de Pisaq and El Jilguero de Huascarán, the most renowned singer in the genre.

Instrumentation in the Andes is a mix of pre-Columbian and modern. Drums, bamboo panpipes and flutes (often made today from PVC pipe rather than wood) date to before the conquest, but stringed instruments such as guitars, charangos and violins were introduced by the Spanish. The large 36-string Andean harp, played by few people today, is thought to be a blend of the Spanish harp and the Celtic harp brought to the area by Jesuit priests. In parades and processions, harpists often sling the instrument onto their shoulders and play with an unbelievable backhanded style.

Chicha is a hybrid musical style that appeared in Lima in the 1960s as a fusion of huayno music from the highlands, urban cumbia and rock. By the 1980s, chicha was ubiquitous in urban Peru, and while the style's connections to traditional music are obscured somewhat by the electric guitars, basses and keyboards, it would be wrong to consider this musical development outside the tradition. Belem was the first of the chicha bands to have recordings released internationally.

Recordings of traditional music of the Andes are numerous and relatively easy to find with a bit of research. The more authentic folkloric albums, often field or informal recordings of little-known musicians, can be found on such labels as Arhoolie, Folkways, Nonesuch and Lyrichord. More polished--and more accessible to unfamiliar ears--are albums by such traditionally oriented "concert bands" as Inti-Illimani, Rumillajta, Awatinas, Bolivia Manta, the Andean-American band Sukay and Inca Son, an outstanding Boston-based ensemble that will perform at this year's Cityfolk Festival.

Founded in 1989 by Peruvian musician and dancer Cesar Villalobos, Inca Son first appeared in Dayton in the late 1990s at the National Folk Festival. The group has recorded 10 albums; has had several hit records in Peru; has toured extensively throughout Latin America, Europe, Canada and the U.S.; and contributed music to the acclaimed PBS series Columbus and the Age of Discovery.
-- Jon Hartley Fox

Want to learn more?

Enjoy the music and dance of the Andes when Inca Son performs at the Cityfolk Festival on Saturday and Sunday, July 1-2. Cesar Villalobos, the group's leader, will lead a workshop on Andean flute on Saturday. He will provide several dozen handmade flutes so that you can learn to play songs on it! These flutes will also be available for sale.

Visit Inca Son's websit - Cityfolk E-News

Newsletter Featured Artist/Group:

INCA SON
We are honored to present to our readers, Inca Son, our first Featured Artist/Group. Their music captures the timeless beauty of Andean culture, through music and dance from the mountain peaks and small towns of Cusco and beyond.

INCA SON's purpose is to introduce and educate peoples to the riches of Andean Culture. The group presents traditional music and dance of the Andes Mountains of Peru and Latin America in authentic and colorful Inca attire. Every song and dance has a special importance, meaning or background in Andean folklore, and thus each is briefly described before being performed.

INCA SON plays music from the Andes of Peru, and of all Latin America. The group performs traditional songs, which the musicians rearrange to create a unique style, as well as original compositions. Several of the songs from their last three recordings -- including "Ascope, Tierra del Amanecer," "Cholita Tania," "El Abuelito," and "Inti Libertad" by Cesar Villalobos -- are hits in Peru. The instruments that are used, with the exception of the stringed instruments, are made by the musicians themselves.
Inca Son is committed to educating and sharing their knowledge of and passion for Andean culture
in workshops and performances at schools, cultural organizations and artist-residencies.

Please click on the following link to access an educational study guide
regarding Andean folklore and culture.

Inca Son Study Guide

Exciting News!



Inca Son song “Viaje a la Montana” was awarded
Winner of the Song – World Traditional category
in the 6th Annual Independent Music Awards!



Inca Son in Concert, Sander Theatre, Cambridge, MA, 2006

INCA SON
Music and Dance of the Andes

Biography
Since its creation, Inca Son’s traditional Andean music and dance has won renown both nationally and worldwide. In 1991, the group contributed to the score of the PBS series “Columbus and the Age of Discovery.” In 1992, they launched the United Nation’s “Year of the Indigenous People,” and were recognized as “Best World Music Group.” In 1993 and 1995, the Boston Music Awards nominated INCA SON for musical excellence. In 1996, they provided the official entertainment for World Cup soccer events and also performed at the National Governor’s Conference attended by ex-president Clinton. In 1996, the group played at the Summer Olympic Games (Atlanta, GA), and was distinguished for its outstanding performances at the “Festival Mondial de Folklore” (Quebec). Official distinctions from Peru came from the Presidency in 1993, and Congress in 1995. Peru’s Associated Press (ANAP) bestowed the coveted “Golden Sun” award on INCA SON and named César Villalobos (Founder/Artistic Director) “Cultural Ambassador” in 1995. In 1997, INCA SON was the Boston Phoenix’s selection as “Best World Music Group,” and represented Peru at the “2nd International Folk Festival,” Moscow. The next year, they were featured artists at “Ancestors of the Incas,” the world’s largest Peruvian exhibition (Memphis, TN). In 1999, INCA SON received the Boston Music Award for “Best World Music Act,” and was nominated by the Boston Phoenix Music Poll as “Best World Music Group.” In 2000, they performed at Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops (Keith Lockhart, Conductor) and contributed songs to the Pop’s “Latin Album.” In 2001, INCA SON performed at the 30th Anniversary Celebration of Washington DC’s Kennedy Center. In 2002, they performed at the Winter Olympic Games (Salt Lake City, UT). In 2003, they were headliners at the Kennedy Center’s AmericArtes Festival. That year, Cesar Villalobos was awarded the prestigious “Order of the Sun” from the Peruvian government, for artistic achievement. In 2004, INCA SON performed throughout Italy, and represented the Inca at the opening of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. In 2005, the group was invited by the Peruvian Presidency to present a series of benefit Mother’s Day concerts, both in Lima and in several villages in Northern Peru. Inca Son was also honored to perform in Washington, at the opening of National Geographic Museum’s “Peru: Indigenous and Viceregal,” attended by Peru’s First Lady. In June of 2005, Inca Son presented a concert at Providence’s Waterplace Park in homage to the ancient “Inti Raymi” festival. Two Peruvian Consul Generals were present, and presented Cesar Villalobos with an award for almost two decades of musical achievement. Inca Son also released its 11th CD that year. In January of 2006, Inca Son’s full band and dancers performed to sell-out crowds at Cambridge’s historic Sanders Theatre, in a benefit concert organized by COPEA (Peruvian-American Community), an organization over which Cesar Villalobos presides as Cultural Coordinator. In June of 2006, Cesar was invited by the Peruvian Presidency to proudly lead the festivities in Lima in conjunction with a brand new holiday he had helped develop, “Day of Andean Song.” Inca S - Aguafuego Tierraire

Mi Cambio, which means “My Change,” celebrates life with sheer exuberance. Danceable tunes weave with the haunting “Sounds of Silence”, offering a wealth of emotions that linger long after the album is over. For fans of Andean Music, Mi Cambio is the way to go.” - New Age Retailer

Isabelle Richards, 5, of Lebanon, center, play along with her uncle, Cesar Villalobos, left, founder/artistic director of Inca Son Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010 Lebanon Elementary School. - Norwich Bulletin

From polka to bluegrass to Vietnamese eats
The 20-year-old Lowell Folk Festival offers a bit of everything
By Erica Febre efebre@hippopress.com

The Lowell Folk Festival turns 20 this year.

The three-day event, held this year Friday through Sunday, July 28 through July 30, takes place in downtown Lowell, Mass., and features a lineup of more than 20 musicians.

With six outdoors stages the lineup of performers comes from a variety of different categories of folk, from bands with a New Orleans flavor to polka to mariachi music. The event, which offers free admission to the shows, also features vendors selling a variety of ethnic foods and crafts as well as parades and dance.s

Inca Son, a Peruvian performance group, will bring music and dance of the Andes. Based in Cambridge, Mass., Inca Son has been a part of the Lowell Folk Festival for the last 10 years.

"We try keep our roots strong, using culture as a bridge to bring Peru to America. It's important for us to educate others about our culture and customs. We look forward to being a part of this year's festival, being that it's the 20th anniversary and we'll put on our best performance yet," said Cesar Villalobos, the founder of Inca Son.

A New Orleans group, The Hot 8 Brass Band, displaced by Hurricane Katrina last year, will make the journey north to take part in the festival as well. They've been busy doing a number of free performances back home for other displaced evacuees. Playing on donated instruments, the group expresses a gratitude for still being able to get together and play and, most of all, for having their livelihood.

"This will be our first time traveling that far north. People from New Orleans love New Orleans music. Since the hurricane, it seems that a lot of people are really gathering an interest in the New Orleans type music so we're going to bring that music to New England. We also have some evacuees that relocated to Massachusetts after the hurricane," said Wendell Cliff Stewart, the bands saxophonist.

A Polish polka group, Dennis Polisky & the Maestro's Men, based in Colchester, Conn. will bring their Grammy-nominated sounds for the bands first appearance at the festival. Celebrating their 10-year anniversary, the band is established as one of the nation' top polka bands.

"They're mainly a polka band but they play everything, attracting an audience from both the older and younger generations," said Karen Olszewski, the bands manager.

Bringing the sounds of electric blues is The Bobby Parker band, based in Maryland. The six-member band features a saxophonist, Blues Harp player, guitarist and bass player, drummer and piano player.

"We'e played all over the world but this will be our first appearance in Lowell. We're looking forward to coming to the festival," Bobby Parker, the bands guitarist, said.

The lengthy list of musicians features music styles ranging from Kentucky Thumbpicker by Eddie Pennington to Mexican Mariachi by Los Camperos de Nati Cano.

The Lowell Folk Festival is presented by Lowell National Historical Park, Lowell Festival Foundation, National Council for the Traditional Arts and the city of Lowell. - hippopress.com

Cesar Villalobos, director of the music and dance group Inca Son, which performs music of Peru's Andes Mountains, drums for his dancers.
- Washington Post

Several New York Mills middle and high school students filled the school auditorium Thursday afternoon to watch a performance by the professional Andean music and dance ensemble, Inca Son.

The 45 minute presentation highlighted the sights, sounds, attire and culture of ancient Peruvian society.

“It’s cross-curricular,” said Bonnie Milone, Spanish teacher and event organizer. “Their performances touch on language, social studies, culture and music.”

Formed more than 20 years ago by Peruvian native Cesar Villalobos in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass., the group has grown to include several professional musicians and dancers. Inca Son has performed for presidents, at the World Cup soccer games, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and the winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. They also have won several notable music awards.

An extended version of the show was scheduled to be performed Thursday evening at the high school and included native dancers. Proceeds from the event went toward the New York Mills Music, Art, & Drama Boosters and the New Hope Children’s Home in Peru founded by David and Debbie Bolos, of New York Mills.

Tickets were $10 in advance and $12 at the door.

Copyright 2010 The Observer-Dispatch, Utica, New York. Some rights reserved
- Observer-Dispatch

Cesar Villalobos (right), founder and creative director of Inca Son, a Peruvian-born music group based in Massachusetts, speaks at Carpenter Road Elementary School in northeastern Flint on Friday. Villalobos said he loves to teach and to let students ask questions. During the performances, he shared music, dance, traditional outfits, Spanish language and history with the students. Inca Son visited as part of Arts Midwest World Fest, an educational program put on by The Whiting Center of Performing Arts in Flint.
The Flint Journal / Jeana-Dee Allen
Carpenter Road Elementary School student Kristen Perry (center), 7, of Flint plays in a demonstration with Inca Son on Friday. Students were called onto the stage at the school to play panpipes to the tune of 'Oh, Susanna.' - The Flint Journal

“...Cesar Villalobos performs music because it comes from his heart, not as a way to become famous or rich. Humble, sensitive, goodhearted, his personality shines through his work, and led him to return to his native land. In 1993, he built “Boston Playground” in his home town of Ascope, and in 2001 he put proceeds from his anniversary concert toward the reconstruction of the Santa Ana Church in Ayacucho. He is a tireless friend of those who dream of leaving Peru in search of a better life...” Jesus Raymundo, Journalist - El Peruano, Lima, Peru

Who doesn't like Inca Son?.... That's right....everyone likes Inca Son.

They can be seen anywhere and tend to pop up when you least expect it. There most recent favorite spot is in front of Orvis in Fanueil Hall.

I can remember by first Inca Son experience 15 years ago in school. Since then I have seen them maybe 100 times. It could be blazing hot out and you pan around and then you see Inca Son. In the middle of the winter - Inca Son is playing.

I think they are great. If your mood can't be uplifted by a pan pipe and some vibrant Peruvians then you are simply dead inside. - Yelp

Playing for the President of the United States or performing in Carnegie Hall doesn't move Cesar Villalobos most. It's hearing how a couple met or a baby was born, or a street person applauding his band's music - that trumps fame for the Peruvian flute player.

Villalobos is founder and creative director of Inca Son, a Boston-based music ensemble that celebrates its 15th anniversary with two shows Sunday night at the Regatta-bar. "We play the same way for children... as we do for the President and at Symphony Hall," he said.

The five musicians and five dancers of Inca Son have had the kind of wildly varied performance experiences that provide perspective on what matters. Thanks to Villalobos, who moved to town from the small Peruvian village of Ascope in 1985, playing their native music has opened doors none of the troupe's members could have imagined 15 years ago. They've toured the United States, Europe and Latin America. They've played with the Pops, in front of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, at the Olympics in Atlanta and for throngs at soccer's World Cup.

Even with those extraordinary accomplishments, there are still days when you can find Inca Son right where the group got its start, in Harvard Square or in front of Faneuil Hall, playing for passersby. "We very much like to do that," says Villalobos. "We try out new material. And we reach people who wouldn't hear us otherwise - the homeless, people from small towns who don't go to clubs. We play for people who stop for a minute on their way to work when it's cold and we make them smile. We play to make people happy." Like the woman who came up to Villalobos after a show with tears in her eyes and thanked him because a recording of Inca Son's music had helped her get through labor. Or the 20-year-old who told Villalobos he first heard the group when it gave a workshop at his grammar school years before...

The group - with panflutes, guitars, violins, and vocals as its core - has spawned numerous Andean ensembles around the country as members have moved and started up their own bands...

The troupe continues to play benefits, and has raised enough money to build the Boston Playground in tiny Ascope. And you're still as likely to see Inca Son on JFK street, at a wedding of in a classroom as in Lincoln Center or the Regattabar. "Andean music is about playing from the heart," says Villalobos. "That's what we do." - Boston Herald,