ALTURAS was born in Lima on April 22, 1978, within the Tuna Universitaria Nueva Amistad (TUNA) choir, directed at the time by Dr. Aurelio Tello Malpartida, a distinguished Latin American musicologist. Since then, it has maintained uninterrupted activity, seriously and professionally disseminating Peruvian reality through music and dance.
In 1990, it made its first European tour through the cultural exchange association between Europe and Latin America, Alturas e. V., based in Karlsruhe, Germany; two years earlier, during its first tours in Europe, the group had as its musical director the maestro and renowned Latin American music arranger, Luis Craff, to whom it owes much of its musical development. Currently, Alturas is based in Madrid, from where it carries out important work in the dissemination and performance of the different musical genres of Peru and Latin America, emphasizing Afro-Peruvian rhythms (originating from African slaves brought by the Spanish), little known outside Peru, showcasing the use of more than 50 different instruments, all of them acoustic.
In addition to performing throughout almost all of Peru, ALTURAS has given numerous concerts and participated in festivals held in prestigious venues in Germany, Austria, Spain, France, England, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Switzerland, the former Soviet Union, Israel, Morocco, and Colombia—many of them officially representing Peru.
In July 2004, it had the privilege of presenting Ariel Ramírez’s Misa Criolla alongside tenor José Carreras and the Salvé Choir of Laredo as part of the International Emilia Romagna Festival in Bologna, Italy. In November and December 2005, it took the lead in the premiere of Misa Criolla in a version orchestrated by Luis Craff, together with the Milan Chamber Orchestra and the German Studio Vocale Karlsruhe choir, with whom it had previously recorded a CD. Under the direction of Néstor Andrenacci, it participated in the Workshop and Concert of Misa Criolla at the XVI EUROPA CANTAT Mainz 2006 (Germany), alongside a large choral ensemble composed of singers of various nationalities. It has also presented Ariel Ramírez’s Navidad Nuestra on many occasions, recording it on CD and performing it in Peru with the French Ensemble Vocal de Castanet-Tolosan, directed by Michel Touton.
Countless reviews from the specialized press and several discographic productions bear witness to the work of compilation, creation, and dissemination carried out by ALTURAS in the field of traditional music from their country, as well as the diverse and varied programs they present, all within the criteria of refined quality and professionalism.
For all these reasons, it is currently considered the finest Peruvian artistic group abroad.
Latest performances
Colombia al Parque Festival, Auditorio de la Media Torta, Bogotá, COLOMBIA; Odegant Festival - Ghent Festival, GHENT, BELGIUM; Latin American Christmas, Castillo de Ágreda, Ágreda, Soria, SPAIN; Tribute to Víctor Jara, Valladolid, SPAIN; Concert with Inti Illimani, for the benefit of the Víctor Jara Foundation in Santiago de Chile, C.C. "Miguel Delibes", Valladolid, SPAIN; Sala Clamores, Madrid, SPAIN; Eugénio de Almeida Foundation Forum, Évora, PORTUGAL; Ariel Ramírez's Misa Criolla, with tenor JOSÉ CARRERAS, Quod Libet Choir and conductor Fernando Terán, Milan Cathedral, Milan, ITALY; Cultural Summer, Plaza Mayor de Milagros, Burgos, SPAIN; "Night of the Andes", Old Church, organized by the ACLED Association, Saint-Clar, Gers, FRANCE; Sala Galileo Galilei, Madrid, SPAIN; Cultural Center of the Caja de Ahorros del Mediterráneo, Alicante, SPAIN; "TaKisun" with the Castanet-Tolosan Vocal Ensemble, Auditorium of the Trade Fair, Musical Autumn.
Concert for the benefit of the Alzheimer Family Association (AFAVA), organized by Coral Valparaíso, Valladolid, SPAIN; Misa Criolla with the L’Ensemble Vocal l’Énéïde Choir, Alphonse Daudet Theater of Coignères, FRANCE; "33rd Anniversary Concert", Galileo Galilei Hall, Madrid, SPAIN; 60th Santander International Festival, venue of the Historical Marks, concerts in Casar de Periedo, Jesús de Monasterio House-Museum, and in Rasines, Cueva del Valle Park, Cantabria, SPAIN; "TaKisun" with the Castanet-Tolosan Vocal Ensemble and the reciter Equidad Bares, Market Hall, Castanet-Tolosan, FRANCE; Tribute to Maestro JOSÉ MARÍA ARGUEDAS, together with the Totora Cultural Association and other artists, "Nicolás Salmerón" Cultural Center, Madrid, SPAIN; 19th Al Bustan Festival, Misa Criolla by Ariel Ramírez with The Antonine Choir Lebanon, St. Joseph Jesuit Church, Beirut, LEBANON; América Canta, Misa Criolla by Ariel Ramírez and Latin American songs, with the Tantanakuy Ibero-American Choir, Cervantes Theater of Málaga, SPAIN; MadridFolk, Colonial Norte Hall, Madrid, SPAIN.