South American Music Coming to Flushing this Weekend

Photo courtesy of QEDC.

By Evan Rosen

Flushing Town Hall is hosting a free event this weekend for teenagers to celebrate Ecuadorian and Colombian music.

The festivities will kickoff Friday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m., with a dance lesson that will be followed by a collective jam session of numerous bands. “Inkhay” — one of the groups playing, highlight the nature of the Andes Mountains, with aged woodwind instruments like the quena (a flute) and the zampoña (a panpipe).

The other group, “Río Mira,” comes all the way from Ecuador and Colombia, with their sound originating from the marimba, a xylophone-like instrument made of pipes and wooden bars.

Teenagers can hear this unique music for free, as part of the city’s ongoing efforts to expose this age group to the arts. For everyone else, tickets are $16 and $10 for students with identification.

For those looking to keep the fun going throughout the weekend, Saturday, Oct. 20 at 11:30 a.m., an Andean Music Workshop will be available (free for teenagers again) at $25 per ticket. Inkhay band member Pepe Santana, will offer instruction on how to play the panpipe, as well as cultural lessons of the Andean people. Events will be located at Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.