The Impenetrable in Chaco, its inhabitants and its rural pediatricians
were honored in Paris
during a moving concert by the
Lutetia Orchestra
and
Maestro Alejandro Sandler
, at the
Maison
de la América Latina in the French capital.
At least
170 Argentines and French
gathered in the amphitheater, to learn some and frantically applaud others, the works of Piazzolla, Ginastera, Giusto's orchestration and
recognize the quena,
played by a French woman, and the bandonéon.
A solidarity that was born in the middle of Covid, under isolation, when digital connectivity united Argentines in Paris with their friends in Montreal to begin thinking about founding
Raíces
, a French NGO but made up of Argentine professionals to help their country.
Argentine roots
The businesswoman María Rosa Kemlin, the anthropologist and journalist, former correspondent for Atlántida publishing house in Paris, Enriqueta Sugasti, the psychologist Edgardo Paz, Belén Santamarina, former founder of Carnar, and Martin Tavaut carried out this project, which they called Raíces.
The godfather was Dr.
Juan Carlos Chacques
, the inventor of cardiac Etcharpe, director of the Cardiac Biocare program at the Pompidou Hospital and the ethics committee for scientific research.
A Santa Fe resident, exiled from the dictatorship, who connected them with an NGO from Santa Fé.
It is called La Higuera, formed by a group of pediatricians who
have been working in Impenetrable for 20 years
and who have even created
a chair of Rural Pediatrics at the University of Rosario
.
Partnership with local NGOs is the Raíces method.
Juan Carlos Chacques, Enriqueta Sugasti and María Rosa Kemlin.
Photo: Noel Smart
The other sponsor is Dr. Fernando Alvárez, professor of pediatrics and director of the liver transplant program and co-director of the intercultural pediatrics program, CHU Sainte Justine in Montreal, Canada.
Raíces
grows and consolidates
with the help of everyone.
In 2022 they were able to purchase a generator set, which allowed the team of doctors in the Impenetrable to work in communities that did not have electricity.
In 2023 they managed to acquire a portable ultrasound machine, essential for establishing diagnoses in the field, which cost between 12 to 14,000 euros. But they help with logistics by buying fuel, transporting and housing volunteers in the field, or obtaining portable dental units.
Lutetia, a humanitarian orchestra
The French at the concert
had never heard of Chaco or El Impenetrable
.
But they were there, to help and listen to the Lutetia Orchestra, with a long humanitarian history.
“Apart from being a professional orchestra, the Lutetia Orchestra, we have always allowed ourselves, from the beginning, to have one, two
, three concerts per year for humanitarian purposes
.
As a musician, I am very grateful to Argentina.
I was in Rosario, in the Rosario Orchestra, then in the Teatro Colón Orchestra and then I received a scholarship from Mozarteum, to come to Europe.
Really with a lot of effort, obviously, what that kind of thing entails.
I always received help to return here.
So it's my way of helping.
I always had a vision of giving back to the artistic side,” Maestro Alejandro Sandler, director of the Lutetia Orchestra,
told Clarín
.
Alejandro Sandler, director of the Lutetia Orchestra.
Photo: Noel Smart
“About 20 years ago I traveled to the Congo, for a humanitarian cause, to go direct there.
I started helping the Congo with my orchestra.
We sent not only musical instruments, but
paper, pencils, strings, oil for the pistons
of the instruments.
Everything was missing,” he said.
The Congo inspired the Master to help his country.
“I contacted a person in Argentina and said: “What is needed there?
"Can I do something for my country?"
He adds: "We have been with Argentina for about 15 years. I am an ambassador of the Alegro Argentina Association orchestra, which is directed by Derna Isla. Musical ambassador means that everything we can here, we do for them in Argentina. And
We have sent more than 200 instruments.
At each Lutetia concert an instrument is purchased and sent. Every time I am there, I am going to visit them, I am going to conduct them. Now I was conducting in Argentina, in May of last year. And "Obviously,
we organize educational concerts
, so that they can come. We again donated three instruments sent by the Lutetia Orchestra. So not only with Argentina, but we also did the same in Mexico."
“In Spain, in France too.
There is always a need.
We want art and culture to enrich us in a way.
As they said in Argentina, with the first instrument we sent:
"An instrument sent, a street boy saved."
That was the motto. And I think it is strongly true and may even be more important," Sandler told
Clarín
.
Alexander Sandler.
Photo: Noel Smart
“I was always very grateful to my country, because I am still Argentine, even though I have lived here for 20 years.
It is a clean and clear thank you, without return.
Without getting into the political part.
In the truly humanitarian, spiritual part, perhaps,” the Master acknowledges.
The amphitheater of the Maison de América Latina, which Professor Carlos Quenan obtained free of charge,
was complete.
“Sold, yes.
That speaks volumes about many things.
First, people responded to the call of the Lutetia Orchestra.
It also has its audience, who were very interested in the project and, above all, people are surely going to be very generous.
With this
we will be able to send everything raised tonight to Chaco Impenetrable
, to the association there.
"To be able to buy medical supplies, so that they can equip their trucks, their cars and so that they can have access to those places. Provide necessary material, necessary technology, at least participate in the purchase of necessary instruments for doctors," he acknowledged.
The teacher in The Impenetrable
The Master was in The Impenetrable.
He walked through it.
He saw that “there are deaths,
including children from cholera, dengue, fevers, flu,
who often do not have access to medicines.
Music has no borders.
Simply for us to do a concert, if it can help you,
we are very happy
.
The Lutetia Orchestra is a professional orchestra.
We live off music and in this concert, the musicians agree to work for charity.
Obviously, if the causes do not catch their attention, they can say no or they are busy.
But the very nice thing about this project is that immediately the people we called responded with great enthusiasm, positively,” he acknowledged.
Juan Carlos Chacques, Enriqueta Sugasti, Mariía Rosa Kemlin and Alejandro Sandler.
Photo: Noel Smart
Impressions of the Puna by Ginastera, Argentine music for strings by Di Giusto, Suite for quena and string orchestra by Cumbo, Pintánme el Alma, La Vuelta de los Tachos, Los años de Soledad by Piazzolla, Oblivion and Violentango were part of the
program .
In the orchestra
there are many French musicians
, an American who plays the violin and the Argentine tango double bassist Lucas Querini, who played Piazzolla with the orchestra.
Carmela Delgado was there, who is one of the best young bandeon players in Europe.
And the flutist Naié Dutrieux, who today walks through the streets of Buenos Aires for the first time, after the Maestro convinced her that she should learn the quena from her.
She was one of the great sensations of the concert.
The repertoire was
purely Latin American and Argentine music.
Alberto Ginastera, who is the Argentine composer father;
Jorge Cumbo, who is a well-known folklorist, who was Simon and Garfunkel's quenista, when they made El condor passes.
And the work is also orchestrated for orchestra by the Argentine Gerardo Di Giusto
In the orchestra there are many French musicians, an American who plays the violin and the Argentine tango double bassist Lucas Querini.
Photo: Noel Smart
At the end of the concert the audience
not only asked for one “encore” but two
, surprising the director himself, who had not anticipated it and had to repeat Piazzola's last piece. And they enthusiastically donated to the cause of Chaco Impenetrable.