PEMBERVILLE – Andes Manta, a quartet of brothers from Ecuador, will
present a free concert of music from their homeland Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Pemberville Opera House.The
members of the ensemble will also lead a workshop for children grades 2 through 7 at the Pemberville Library
at Saturday at 10:30 a.m. The session is free to the first 25 children who sign up. Call the library at
419-287-4012.Fernando, Luis, Bolivar and Jorge Lopez are native to the Ecuadorian Andes and learned their
traditional folk music as it has been learned for thousands of years-passed from father to son, brother to
brother.Playing more than 35 traditional instruments, Andes Manta provides a rare opportunity for cultural
understanding between the people of South and North America. Andean music has survived 500 of European
occupation, making it one of the few authentic prehistoric cultures.The Lopez brothers began learning music
at a young age, often making flutes and panpipes of native bamboo and learning to play from older musicians.
At a very young age, they gained a reputation throughout music circles as remarkable talents in the folk
music world. They have performed in Carnegie Hall, National Cathedral and Lincoln Center, on the Discovery
Channel and in hundreds of schools and universities.The music of Andes Manta is a celebration of daily life.
Songs and festivals mark the blessing of a house, the birth of a child, and the cycles of planting and
harvesting. Music and dance animate religious festivals blending pre-Colombian and Catholic rituals.The
concert is being presented by The Ohio Arts Council as part of its 15th Performing Arts in Communities Tour.