NIMAN AXKAN

On August 10, 2024, at 7:00 PM at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, a concert titled “NIMAN AXKAN” will be held, commemorating contemporary indigenous Mexican music. It will feature Vórtice Ensamble, the Children’s and Youth Symphony Band of Huejotzingo, and various guest soloists. The event is organized by artist, composer, and director Felipe Pérez Santiago, ARENET, and the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL).

Felipe Pérez Santiago has received awards in Europe, the USA, Asia, and LATAM, including the Kronos Quartet composition award in the USA, the Bourges award in France, music for dance from the Onassis Foundation in Greece, the Betty J. Meyers fellowship in Washington, the National Performance Award in Austin, a platinum record in Mexico, best music award at the Miami Film Festival, a fellowship from the National Gugak Center in Korea, and various other recognitions. He holds diplomas and master’s degrees from institutions such as the Center for Research and Musical Studies (CIEM) in Mexico, The Royal School of Music in London, and the Rotterdam Conservatory in the Netherlands. He is an honorary member of the National System of Creators, has represented his country at UNESCO, and serves as the musical and orchestra director of Estudios Churubusco.

This concert originally began in 2022 as a collaboration between Felipe Pérez Santiago, artistic director of Vórtice Ensamble, and the Americas Research Network (ARENET). It is part of an international project called COLING, an initiative of the European Union to create and share practices and experiences in the revitalization of indigenous languages in the Americas and minority languages in Europe.

The concert is a tribute to the indigenous languages of Mexico through music, featuring Vórtice Ensamble, the Children’s and Youth Symphony Band of Huejotzingo, and various guest performers, including:

• Banda Kujipy: Originating from the Mixe culture, they combine the tradition of Oaxacan wind bands with Balkan music and rap in the Mixe language.
• Victoria Amaro: A soprano dedicated to contemporary Mexican music who sings in the Maya K’iche language.
• Benjamín Kumantuk Xuxpë: A trumpeter and composer from the Ayuujk tradition of Oaxaca. He combines the musical traditions of his community with jazz and electronic music.
• Xipe Totec: A Death Metal group from Cuautitlán Izcalli, State of Mexico, with lyrics sung in Nahuatl and themes from the Mexica people.
• Damián Martínez: Founder and leader of the band “Sak Tzevul,” which combines the traditions of the Tzotzil people with progressive rock.
• Sótera Cruz: From Juchitán, a composer and rapper known for making hip-hop in the Zapotec language.

The program also includes iconic works from the tradition of Mexican indigenous music with modern arrangements made for Vórtice Ensamble and the Symphony Band.

The premise of Niman Axkan is to showcase the different facets of indigenous music in our country, with particular emphasis on what is being created today; the music that young people from indigenous communities listen to, and how they absorb and replicate it according to their local traditions.

This project premiered at the Los Pinos Cultural Center in Mexico City to celebrate the “International Day of Indigenous Languages” in 2022. It was subsequently presented with great success later that year at the City Theater of Puebla and in 2023 at the Zócalo of Huejotzingo, Puebla.