"Mater Natura, de la France à l’Amérique Latine," in Peru and Argentina

Trained in France and Peru, Juan Arroyo is a major composer on the contemporary Peruvian scene. Highly active in France, where he studied notably at IRCAM, he has also won several prestigious awards, including the Salabert Foundation Prize (2023), the Académie des Beaux-Arts de France Prize (2015), and the Ibermusics Composition Prize (2022). His pieces, performed by leading ensembles, explore the concept of sound hybridization and often reimagine the characteristics of traditional instruments to uncover sometimes disorienting aspects. Juan Arroyo also works with linguistic and instrumental sounds from Latin American and pre-Columbian cultures. 

On the occasion of the celebrations for the Bicentennial of Peru's Independence, Juan Arroyo composed an orchestral fresco titled Mater Natura, de la France à l’Amérique Latine. This work was created as part of his artistic residency with the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru and in partnership with Ensemble 2e2m. One of the oldest contemporary music ensembles in France, founded in 1972, Ensemble 2e2m is based in Champigny-sur-Marne, where Mater Natura, de la France à l’Amérique Latine was performed on June 18 before going on tour in Peru and Argentina. 

Mater Natura, de la France à l’Amérique Latine is a concerto for ensemble, orchestra, and electronics. It is composed of four "offerings," carried by four soloists and conducted by Léo Margue. The concerto is presented as part of a programme that also includes works by Heitor Villa-Lobos, Maurice Ravel, and Gabriela Ortiz. 

In partnership with the Pôle Supérieur Paris Boulogne-Billancourt, Pôle Sup' 93, and La Muse en Circuit, Mater Natura, de la France à l’Amérique Latine was first presented in Île-de-France before traveling to the Experimenta Festival at the Gran Teatro Nacional in Lima (Peru) and the Teatro Argentino de La Plata in Buenos Aires (Argentina) last June.