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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE December 15, 2007
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| December 2, 2007 |
Guayaquil, Ecuador – Meeting the Maestros of Ecuador’s Newly Established Classical Music Scene |
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| The conservatory where Mr Kobayashi nurtures talent, both young and old |
The small Latin American nation of Ecuador is known more for its banana exporting than its classical music scene. However, thanks to classical guitar legend Kobayashi Ryuhei, the scene is now thriving and producing some of Ecuador’s most talented musicians. When Peace Boat moored at the city of Guayaquil, it was this aspect which a group of participants experienced, when they visited the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory to learn about classical guitar in Ecuador and listen to a concert by the students. With its towering white Greek columns and preened rose garden, the conservatory is an elite establishment that screams refinement and excellence. Here Mr Kobayashi teaches classical guitar, music theory and music history to talented and motivated students. |
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| Mr Kobayashi poses with his fiancée Tatiana (left) and a Peace Boat participant |
All of the students at the conservatory, who are aged between 16 and 45, have day jobs or are studying at high school or university. Some of the older students spend their days wedged into cubicles staring at computer screens, watching the hands on the clock go round, anticipating the moment when they can escape to the sanctuary of the conservatory and pick up their guitars. Others put just as much effort into their academic studies as their music studies in case they ever need something to fall back on. The conservatory exists because Mr Kobayashi, who studied guitar in Spain, was asked by the Spanish government to introduce the classical guitar to Ecuador. This was almost unheard of in the 1970s. Never one to shy away from a challenge, and attracted by the fact that he could start from scratch, Mr Kobayashi moved to Ecuador and hasn’t looked back. ‘Thirty years ago, there wasn’t a school for guitars, so I could start from zero teaching classical guitar, so that was very satisfying,’ he said. |
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| Inside the conservatory, adorned with rows of awards, participants rifle through books about music |
Through his tireless work there, Mr Kobayashi has managed to make classical music popular, help establish and direct the country’s leading conservatory and nurture the most talented guitar players in Ecuador. His efforts have made him a national treasure and in 2004 he was awarded the prestigious “Culture Award” from the Ecuadorian government. According to 18 year old Carlos Hernandez, one of Mr Kobayashi’s protégés, “He is very loved in Ecuador’s music community.’ In fact, his students, friends and fans all affectionately call him “Maestro,” a term which, given his many achievements, he deserves. |
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| Peace Boat and UPA giving much needed guitars to the conservatory |
In addition to his professional work, Mr Kobayashi has also started a school in one of Guayaquil’s slums which Peace Boat helped establish through fund raising drives and donation of goods. Because many Ecuadorians live in poverty, learning to play an instrument is something many cannot afford. However, through learning the guitar, these less fortunate students have an opportunity to experience the joys of learning an instrument and the spin offs that come with it, such as increased self-esteem and discipline. Before the concert by the conservatory students took place, Peace Boat presented Mr Kobayashi and the conservatory with guitars as part of a joint project with United People’s Alliance (UPA) which helps to provide communities in developing nations with needed supplies. Guitars are considered luxury items for most Ecuadorians because by their standards, they are incredibly expensive. Student Alex Liu, for example, saved all his money from teaching private music classes for years before he could afford to buy his coveted USD900 guitar. |
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| Two conservatory members, Fernando and Francisco, hold an impromptu two-man show |
Many of the Peace Boat participants who visited the conservatory are established musicians and singers in their own right and so were enthusiastic to check out the quality of Ecuador’s budding classical guitarists. Over a typical Ecuadorian lunch of barbecued steak, pork, sausage and cow’s gizzard, participants and students got to know each other and their musical tastes. Although communication was limited because of the language barrier, it soon became apparent that musicians speak their own language and they became fast friends. |
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| The guitarists give their all in an hour long performance which dazzled participants |
The students then changed into their suave black concert clothes and participants sat back to enjoy the concert of 16 students under the direction of Mr Kobayashi who acted as conductor. Participants were transfixed by the soothing guitar sounds that resonated with the tunes of the great masters such as Mozart as well as ancient Gothic tunes from Spain. Undoubtedly, participants will be keeping an eye out for some of their new friends who will emerge onto the world music scene in the near future. |
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