Music

Bogotá’s Sacred Music Festival Turns 15 With ‘La Concordia’

Bogotá’s iconic Teatro Colón is the starting point for a month-long exploration of music, spirituality and the many ways in which cultures find common ground in a city of contrasts. The occasion is the 15th…

RICHARD EMBLIN September 4, 2026

Shakira Pledges US$1.25 M to Rebuild Earthquake-Damaged Schools in Chocó

Colombia’s Shakira has pledged US$1.25 million toward rebuilding schools and educational infrastructure damaged by the earthquake that struck Colombia’s Pacific region on August 10, announcing…

RICHARD EMBLIN August 19, 2026

Remembering Totó La Momposina, the Voice of Colombia’s Caribbean Soul

When One Hundred Years of Solitude author Gabriel García Márquez accepted the Nobel Prize for Literature in Stockholm in 1982, Colombia arrived with him —…

RICHARD EMBLIN May 19, 2026

A pre-Columbian flute is one of many artifacts in the exhibition Colombia: En un aliento. Photo courtesy: Banco de la República.

Colombia in a Breath: Wind Instruments That Tell the Story of a Nation

Musical instruments are far more than tools for producing sound: they embody the cultural identity of a territory, carrying spiritual meanings, collective memory, and the…

RICHARD EMBLIN January 29, 2026

China’s Ruifeng Lin Wins Bogotá’s First International Violin Competition

Bogotá brought its inaugural International Violin Competition to a rousing close on Saturday night, capping a week of performances that reshaped the city’s classical music…

THE CITY PAPER STAFF November 8, 2025

Bogotá Opens First International Violin Competition With Latin American Celebration

Bogotá is preparing for a milestone in its cultural calendar as it inaugurates the first edition of the Bogotá International Violin Competition on October 30,…

THE CITY PAPER STAFF October 30, 2025

Bogotá’s International Sacred Music Festival Returns with Four Weeks of ‘Glory’

Bogotá will host the 14th International Sacred Music Festival from September 10 to October 5, featuring 750 artists from 16 countries in 40 concerts, lectures,…

RICHARD EMBLIN September 4, 2025

Violin Contest of Bogotá spotlights Colombian composition with Jury of virtuosos

Bogotá launches its first International Violin Competition, offering generous prizes and star-studded global jury. Twenty finalists will compete this November, with free masterclasses and donated…

RICHARD EMBLIN May 13, 2025

Bogotá’s VII Classical Music Festival showcases the Sound of the Americas

From Philip Glass to Piazzolla, the seventh edition of Bogotá’s acclaimed classical music festival Bogotá Es América pays homage to the continent’s vast sonic landscape.…

THE CITY PAPER STAFF April 14, 2025

Colombia’s top Grammy Artists banned from entering Maduro’s Venezuela

The Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro has banned prominent Colombian Grammy-winning artists, including Juanes, Carlos Vives, Maluma, and Silvestre Dangond, from entering the country. The…

THE CITY PAPER STAFF March 5, 2025

Violinists of the World Unite: Bogotá Launches First International Violin Contest

Bogotá has launched the first-ever International Violin Contest: City of Bogotá, marking a significant cultural milestone for Latin America. The competition, open to violinists aged…

RICHARD EMBLIN December 5, 2024

Rock al Parque: Bogotá celebrates 30 years of legendary concerts

Rock al Parque celebrates 30 years as a leading rock festival in Latin America. Taking place at the Simón Bolívar Park in Bogotá, November 9-11,…

THE CITY PAPER STAFF October 30, 2024