Constanza "Murguera" Miranda.

When thinking about what I would like to do after finishing my degree, there is a postgraduate course that I would like to take: musicology. Currently, in the program of my career, there are some classes that are approaches to musicological research, but I think I need to have more tools to carry out a good investigation.  My objective is, on the one hand, to be able to systematize knowledge that the people (musicians, audience, etc.) generate about some genres of popular music which today only is transmitted by oral language, in order to contribute to its conservation and teaching, and on the other hand, to generate new knowledge through research.    I would like to have the subjects:   research methodologies, analysis of musical repertoire, history of popular music in Latin America and some subjects about organology. Regarding the place, I would love to take the postgraduate course in musicology dictated by the University of the Republic of Uruguay, beca...

R egarding my work plans the truth is that I don’t imagine having an only one job. Although I love to put energy into long-term projects, the certain thing is that my interests are wide and diverse and I would like to live the emotion of dedicating myself to several things. To me, the most important thing is to be a singer, composer, and lyricist of Uruguayan Murga, for this reason, I would love to be in important Murgas choirs and create several spaces where this genre can develop, from schools to prisons. Also, I imagine me in the future creating various projects linked to artistic interpretation, teaching, musicological research and cultural management but in different periods for dedicating exclusive time to each of them. In the case of money, I would like to get enough of this to cover my basic needs and maybe generate savings that allow me to travel at least once a year to other countries. On the other hand, I would also like to create an artistic cooperative because I firmly bel...

At different stages of our lives we have friends who come to bring new perspectives to our way of seeing ourselves in the world. The books, the poetry, the movies and especially some songs and albums, are essential friends of life. It is difficult for me to say if I have one or some favorite discs, without forgiving some very especial album. However, today I chose to talk about an album (among so many), which I could name for different reasons among my list of favorites. Considering the centenary of Violeta Parra, I will write about the album that immortalized her greatest hits: "Las Últimas Composiciones", which predicts the future because some months later Violeta committed suicide. In this album you can see the variety and flexibility of Violeta's work, showing various motifs in her lyrics and music, and reflecting the result of her profound work as a compiler and her wonderful creative talent. Also, is important to say that to name Violeta Parra, is to name the r...

Hello classmates, what is your current musical project? I really would like to know what makes you wake up every day. Today I will write about mine: Murga Zamba y Canuta. This is a choral and theatrical group who does humorous works of social criticism. This group is conformed only by women, and makes a genre that has been developed historically only by men. It is based on the genre of the Uruguayan murga, typical of Montevideo.  Now, we are mounting our second original work, called “Hecho en Chile”.  It is about developing a work that unites the legacy of the Uruguayan murga, with the wealth of the Chilean popular arts, recovering aspects of our national identity, in order to make a criticism that leads the spectator to reflect on the good and bad things of being Chilean. I have been working for 6 years in this group, singing in the two works that we created called "El Inicio de los Tiempos" and "Hecho en Chile", and also I am part of the cultural management...

You don’t need to have much money to be happy. On different vacations, I have learned to sleep almost anywhere and solve problems with what I have at hand. On the other hand, enduring the work routine becomes much easier when you know that investment will give you new life experiences.  All my vacations and trips have left me with essential memories that have changed my way of looking at life. One of the vacations that I will always remember, was in February 2016, after having been working as a domestic employee, I went alone for a month to Montevideo to get a closer look at the Uruguayan murga. In that place I fulfilled my dream and I met some of my most important friends. I went to see murga every day and I was able to walk around the city, besides sharing my passion with people from different countries. I discovered the mysteries of the carnival that made Montevideo my favorite place in the world, and the Uruguayans confirmed the teachings of my parents: "it's better to...

My favourite place in the world is Montevideo, Uruguay. I dream of living there at least a year.  I want to go because in this country it develops the murga  uruguaya, it is an artistic genre that mix choral sing, satire, and social criticism, with a flashy visual proposal.  I am in love of that genre, and I want do it and keep learning about it all my life.  On the other hand, I love this place because the people are so friendly, I have some friends there and I really want to see them and go together to the carnival. I want to go to Uruguay to take private lessons with important Uruguayan murgueros and participate in carnival groups of that city. I would also like to take postgraduate courses in music research.   Finally, for me any excuse is valid so as to be closer to the Uruguayan carnival.   I hope that someday you can visit Montevideo in February and you can live the ironic magic of the longest carnival in the world. Regards.