Latin Americans at Tanglewood

Beginning in the period immediately following WWII, many prominent Latin American musicians began to be invited to spend time at the Tanglewood MusicCenter in the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts. Tanglewood was founded in 1940 by Serge Koussevitsky, conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. His vision, in addition to providing a summer home for the BSO, was an institution where students would work closely with faculty members of the BSO and guest artists, as well as with each other. Koussevitsky and others, especially Aaron Copland, also saw Tanglewood as an opportunity to create an important cultural bridge between the United States and Latin America. Thus the generous welcome mat which greeted a veritable who's who of composers from throughout Mexico, Central and South America. This photo gives a fascinating glimpse of one year's group. 10 prominent Latin American musicians are seen here with 3 of their American counterparts.

 On this week's edition of Itinerarios, music with Latin American roots, we feature music by several composers in the above picture, contrasting the better known figures, such as Alberto Ginastera with the lesser known, such as Juan Orrego-Salas. Itinerarios airs Sunday evenings at 7 o'clock, hosted by James Baker.