Alejandro Ataucusi: “The Peruvian Charango in Tradition and Innovation: A Performance-Lecture”

In this performance-lecture, Alejandro Ataucusi will showcase unique techniques developed in the Peruvian charango tradition and introduce the modern hatun charango and its harmonic possibilities. The performance is Jan. 20 at 4:15 p.m. in the Ann E. Pitzer Center and is free and open to all.

An acclaimed charango virtuoso, Ataucusi is also a guitarist, composer, and educator. Born and raised in Lima, Peru, he has performed throughout Peru, the United States, and Europe, and in 2022 was named by El Peruano newspaper as one of the “finest interpreters of the hatun charango.”

In addition to his solo artistry, Ataucusi is the founder and bandleader of the Afro-Peruvian jazz group Forbidden Tropics, with whom he has released multiple projects including the critically acclaimed Peruvian Rhapsody (2022). His unique musical voice bridges tradition and innovation, blending Andean heritage with jazz, classical, and contemporary influences. He has also contributed to the cultural and academic discourse on traditional Andean music through lectures and performances at Rutgers University, New York University, and the University of California, Riverside.

This is a co-sponsored event between the Music Department (as part of the Ethno/musicology Forum series) and the Hemispheric Institute of the Americas.