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“I became interested in Andean instruments when I was around 12 or 13 years old through my older brother. We used to listen to music by a Bolivian group called Los Kjarkas, and during the summer when we were on vacation, we tried to build instruments even though we knew nothing about music or how an instrument worked. We didn’t even have musicians in the family. We built our instruments using a material that grows in the Andes called carrizo (reed). We would take tools from my dad and start making our own kind of quenas (wind instrument) with the carrizo. Over time, I got real instruments, and at 14, I started playing the charango, and then when I was about 18, I began taking private lessons with a guitar teacher.

The first time I played a wind instrument, I had a connection with the mountains; it took me to the past, to history, and little by little, over time, I understood that it is part of a tradition and a legacy. There is a story behind every song. The lyrics can be very simple, but that song comes with a feeling and with a power from the past. At INTEMPO’s April 5 Cultural Crossover Concert, there’s a rhythm I will perform called Inti Raymi, which is the celebration of the sun. It’s a dance of gratitude for the year’s harvest. This is a unique rhythm with a lot of power. There’s another song I really love called Apamuy Shungo. Apamuy means to bring, and shungo means heart in the Quichua language of Ecuador, so it means “bring our hearts” or “bring your heart.” This song uses a very indigenous rhythm called Yumbo, which possibly has a history going back thousands of years, and it will also be one of the songs we will perform with the children’s choir. The songs and rhythms we will perform combine a mix of mestizo and indigenous rhythms, but they will be new for many, and sharing them will be a way of keeping the musical legacy of the Andes alive.”

— Geo Suquillo, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator 🎟️ Get your tickets to see Geo perform live with INTEMPO and the Norwalk Youth Symphony on Saturday, April 5 at the Norwalk Concert Hall: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/vgyowr/event/ccc2025/