Travelogues

Irish Night With The Balanya Youth Orchestra

Nestled in Guatemala’s highlands, the Maya town of Santa Cruz De Balanya is not the most likely venue for an Orchestral performance of The Rose Of Tralee. In fact it is not all that likely a candidate to support its own orchestra in the first place. Yet last weekend I had the great pleasure of visiting this community of about 6,000 people. And there I witnessed the unexpected delight of its 27 piece youth orchestra perform a selection of music from my homeland.

I was in Balanya at the invitation of my compatriot Martin, a classically trained musician from Belfast. After graduating in music from Queen’s University Belfast, Martin completed his training at one of the UK’s top music schools, the Royal Northern College in Manchester. A few months ago Martin was intrigued by a notice on the college’s email list about a volunteer placement to teach music in Guatemala. He therefore submitted an application and was soon interviewed by a London based NGO.

During his interview, concern was expressed by the panel about whether he could cope with moving to a country where there was a recent history of prolonged, bloody civil conflict and where the army was still a visible presence on the streets. Assuring his interviewers that this was un-necessary solicitude for someone who grew up in Belfast, Martin was soon offered the role. He arrived in Guatemala in November to instruct the remarkable youth orchestra in Balanya.

I had met Martin because one of the young musicians he instructs is also a student in the school in which I teach in the nearby town of Chimaltenango. The young girl’s mother felt that these two rare pale faces might enjoy each others company, perhaps to indulge in the kind of romanticised nostalgia for home that is almost a trademarked specialty of the Irish.

I liked Martin as soon as I met him - confident and friendly, he exudes best kind of easy Irish charm. He also was a hit with my 7th graders, a number of whom demanded of me “who is your friend?” with the sort of conspiratorial girlish giggles that could only mean he had been anointed their latest crush. So last Saturday afternoon I got on the back of his borrowed moped (mopeds and motorbikes being very popular modes of transport in Guatemala) to travel from Chimaltenango to Balanya. As we sped our way through some beautiful countryside I allowed the invigorating wind in my face and hair to distract me from my concern about not having a helmet. Basic road safety is generally notable by its absence in Guatemala.

Once we arrived in this village, our progress was slowed by the offering of “buenas tardes” to every person we encountered. Balanya is essentially an entirely Mayan community - not only were were we the only white faces, there was also no sign of ladinos (the non-European, non Mayan race that comprises almost half of the Guatemalan population). Martin had clearly embedded himself in this community to an enviable degree. His Spanish was therefore streets ahead of what I had managed to learn whilst living in the gringo-bubble of Antigua.

Our first stop on arriving in the town was the family home of Esdras - the founder and leader of the orchestra. A few years ago, during the few months he studied the flute in Guatemala City, Esdras attended a performance of a youth orchestra. Captivated by what he saw, he decided he wanted such an orchestra for his village. Displaying the bloody-minded determination typical of many social entrepreneurs, Esdras pursued his dream despite its evident (to others) impracticality.

Four years ago Esdras, now 30, established a flute section. A few months later a strings section was added to establish the Orchestra in its current form. The Orchestra was initially financed through the sale of local produce, the reason the orchestra is nicknamed “Orquesta De Las Verduras” or “The Veg Orchestra.”

The sobering figures from the latest harvest illustrate just what an incredible achievement it was to finance orchestral instrument purchases with the sales of locally grown vegetables. When I met him, Esdras said he had just sold his latest harvest of cabbages for 2Q (about 0.2 Euro or about $0.25) per bag of 50 cabbages. Prices have recently been severely depressed, in part as a result of the rise in fuel costs (the wholesaler apparently paying an additional 5Q per bag to transport the cabbages to Guatemala City). There is currently practically no profit to be had from farming this fertile land.

Esdras’s working hours can roughly be divided between 7 hours in the fields and 7 hours teaching (during which time he supports the development of the Youth Orchestra). It was with a view to relieving some of the pressure on Esdras that Martin was sent here as part of a programme run by the NGO Balanya - Music for Guatemala Trust. The NGO had been founded in 2006 after a London based cellist had come into contact with the Balanya orchestra.

When we arrived at Esdras’s family home, his mum Hilda immediately extended us hospitality. Hilda is a fantastic cook - much to the delight of Martin, who is a regular beneficiary of her cooking. During my visit, Hilda treated Martin and I to a range of local delights, including gisada, a deliciously tasty tomato based stew. In the YouTube video below, Hilda can be seen preparing tortillas.

After enjoying Hilda’s hospitality we made our way to the hall where the youth orchestra would be performing that night. While Martin was busy taking charge of preparing the orchestra - 20 strings and 7 wind instruments - I sat back to enjoy the uniqueness of my position. I would be the only audience member for whom the tunes The Sally Gardens, An Irish Washerwoman, The Rose Of Tralee, and I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen were imbued with a special, nostalgic meaning.

These were not the only Irish links that night (symbolised by the knot at the centre of the stage made from the intertwined banderas - flags - of Guatemala and Ireland). Amongst the other pieces of music performed where Handel’s Messiah, famously first performed in Dublin. And after the performance was finished Martin told me the story of the Llorana, the local Maya version of the Irish Banshee. The Llorana is supposed to entrance drunken men with the promise of her beauty, even though the cannot see her face. She leads them by the hand to a mountain ledge, where she reveals her face to them. The terror this induces causes these poor souls to run screaming over the edge. A similar scene is regularly played out in nightspots all around Dublin.

There was quite a lot of emotion at the end of the orchestra’s performance. This was in effect Martin’s leaving gift - his four month placement was at an end and he was about to begin the long journey to Buenas Aires. The young kids in the orchestra were incredibly sweet as the queued to say goodbye to Martin. It was clear that there was a real fondness between teacher and students and a mutual appreciation of the special opportunity that had been given to both.

That night a few of Martin’s friends from the village - Selvin, Horacio, Marvin and Jimmy hosted a farewell evening for Martin. Thankfully, despite over-indulging, none of us fell victim to the Llorana that night.

I left Balanya the following afternoon, after visits to the local vegetable fields and to the nearby ancient Maya ruins of Iximche. Visiting Balanya was a real privilege - I enjoyed fantastic local hospitality and took part in something I had no right to expect, an evening of Irish music preformed by a youth orchestra from a small Maya community. But mostly I left impressed and inspired that Esdras and the team around him have been successful at all. That they have established this orchestra and that it continues in operation despite what should be insuperable odds is an achievement that deserves its own symphony.

More Information About The Balanya Youth Orchestra And How To Help It Continue And Grow:
Balanya - Music For Guatemala Trust Website

The following YouTube video also gives a great introduction to Balanya and its orchestra: