Los Parranderos

Not that we are athletes or anything, but back in December there was an invitation to apply to perform at an Olympic Venue (GE Plaza Ice Rink, formerly known as Robson Square) during the multicultural events planned for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games here in Vancouver

Our fingers were crossed, our hopes were high.  We were really excited to maybe, just maybe have the opportunity to be selected as one of the groups to perform during such high profile event and display our cultural diversity to the City of Vancouver and, indeed, the World.

Today we were informed that our group was not selected.   We are told that many award-winning choirs from the Lower Mainland were also interested in performing.   Needless to say they surely deserve to be there representing the City more so than us.   Nonetheless, we are still disappointed by the news.  We were (biased in) hoping we would get the chance to put on a different show instead of yet another choir.  Oh well!

Having said that, we are getting together to celebrate the end of the 2009 season and to perform, as if we had been selected, at a different venue.

Who is coming?

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As we say goodbye to 2009, we want to say Thank You for your support during this Holiday season. Thank you for inviting us to perform in your homes and your hearts and share this joyous season with us.

Thanks to our special guests, Carlos Cortez and Edwin Martinez for adding your special touch and magic to our Parrandas. We hope we are able to perform together many times in the future.

To our sister choir, Fusion Latina, thank you having us perform with you from time to time. We enjoy it every time.

Special thanks to our volunteers who braved, once again, rain and cold to be with us and enabling us to perform during every show.

We hope to see you again in the new year for yet another round of Parrandas

God bless

Tags: 2010
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If you were thinking about coming out to one of our shows, we just want to remind you (all 7 of you) that we have two shows left for the rest of this year.

Check our event listing for time / place details (hint: they are this Saturday and Sunday)

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Este Articulo nos lo hizo llegar Julieta Prince y esta escrito por: Luis Pacheco,  ex-empleado de PDVSA ; disfruten

Hace unos días recibí un correo de mi amigo Lino invitándome a ver, a través de YOUTUBE, un video de un festival de gaitas zulianas en Canadá. Debo confesar, aquí y ahora, que a pesar de haberme criado en Maracaibo, nunca he sido muy fanático del género, esto sin duda debido a mis inútiles esfuerzos por aprender a tocar la “charrasca” y pertenecer a un grupo gaitero, en mi ya lejana adolescencia.

A pesar de ello, como cualquiera que haya crecido bajo el sol marabino, siento “un nudo en la garganta” oyendo a Ricardo Aguirre interpretar “La Grey Zuliana”. Más aún, puedo cantar la “Cabra Mocha”, “Sentir Zuliano”, “Aniceto Rondón” y hasta la “Gaita Onomatopéyica”. Sé distinguir entre el Padre Vílchez, Abdenago “Neguito” Borjas y Gustavo Aguado.

Read more »

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Our 2009 Season is about to start. Our first show will be at the Vancouver Waldorf School in North Vancouver.

Here is a great graphic to kick-start the Holiday season.

Los Parranderos in Waldorf

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This season was another hit but, as with all good things, it came to an end rather fast.

We want to thank our public once again for their warm support and cheers. You all make it worth the effort. Your smiles and encouraging words are all we are after every year.

We hope to see you again in 2009.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2009!
Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo!

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We want to give a very special mention to our photographer, Gerardo, and videographer, Luis, for sharing their work with us and allowing us to display their work on our website.

Their work really helps us portray the atmosphere of our Parrandas and promote our work, our customs, and our culture.

So a very special, and big, Thank You goes to you both. Another round of thanks is also in order to all our members, our volunteers, and our fans.

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On December 6, Los Parranderos performed for the Minoru Seniors Community Centre in Richmond. They sang only a few minutes after Vancouver’s Latin Choir, Fusion Latina, had shared their talented voices to the same audience.

To everyone’s delight, the encore brought both choirs together to the stage to sing two Venezuelan ‘aguinaldos’: ‘El Niño Jesus’ and ‘La Restinga’.

In the past, both choirs have sung separately in a similar fashion: one first then the other one. This is the first time both choirs have shared the same stage at the same time to sing for the same audience.

We are very happy we shared this moment with our friends at Fusion Latina

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This morning, Los Parranderos were featured on a Global TV’s segment as one of the 8 groups invited to celebrate Christmas on Grouse Mountain.

There is an interview with Director: Maria Luces, close-ups of some of the instruments and, of course, Los Parranderos singing and dancing.

UPDATE: the video has been taken offline by Global (their featured video changes every week). We have secured another copy to host ourselves via youtube.com.

You can enjoy the videos here

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No hay duda que los conjuntos de parranda navideña han sido unas de las expresiones de alegría, entusiasmo y canto solidario que mejor hablan del optimismo y la energía vital. Esas parrandas conocidas como conjuntos de parranda central están conformadas por un abandero, cuyos colores y símbolos identifican al conjunto; también una estrella y los instrumentos: violín o mandolina, cuatro, furruco, maracas, charrasca y chineco.

El chineco es un sonajero de bastón vistosamente adornado, que al ser sacudido o golpeado contra el piso desprende múltiples sonidos de campanillas o pequeñas chapas que se entrechocan.

Materiales para su fabricación:

• Un palo como el de escoba, de dos metros de largo
• Trozos de latón en forma de media luna
• Chapas
• Cascabeles
• Campanitas
• Alambre fino
• Clavos

Era usado en la época en la que las parrandas navideñas iban a pie por las calles de los pueblos.

En su origen se entrecruzan la posible ascendencia Asiática del nombre, quizá proveniente de chinesco o cimbalero y su derivación del bastón sonaja propia de los antiguos indígenas.

Este instrumento es típico de los conjuntos de parranda de los estados Aragua, Carabobo y Cojedes.

(from Aracelis via email)

Diagrama de un Chineco (por agregarse)

DIAGRAM HERE

(as provided by Patricia via email)

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