A Galápagos orchestra played for the volcanic islands’ biodiversity. And it was incredibly moving...

8 November 2023, 11:27 | Updated: 8 November 2023, 11:34

Promoted by Hurtigruten Expeditions

From its crystal clear waters to striking black volcanic sand, the Galápagos Islands are home to some of the richest biodiversity on the planet. And in 2018, an orchestra arrived on the Enchanted Islands to play for the archipelago’s wildlife and scenery...

Estimated to be up to five million years old, the 19 volcanic enclaves that make up the Galápagos Islands are a place like no other.

Renowned for their many brightly coloured animal inhabitants and rich plant life, the vast majority of the islands’ flora and fauna are unique to the Ecuadorian archipelago.

It’s no wonder then, that in 2018 an Ecuadorian orchestra took to the islands to perform a special free concert, promoting the “paradise that is Galápagos”, through the music of Philip Glass, Aaron Copland and more.

Las Galápagos descubren su música junto a la Orquesta Sinfónica de Guayaquil

The Galápagos Islands are named after the giant tortoises they became famous for, after Tomás de Berlanga, the bishop of Panama, discovered them in 1535.

In their almost 500 years of human history, the Islands had never before seen an orchestra of this size perform on their idyllic shores. Over 80 musicians of Ecuador’s Guayaquil Symphony Orchestra alighted on the picturesque sandy beaches of Santa Cruz – the most populated of the Galápagos Islands.

The music festival spanned four concerts, each aimed at a different audience: children, teenagers, families, and a ‘closing ceremony’ which saw the South American premiere of the National Geographic biopic Jane, along with live orchestral accompaniment of Philip Glass’ original soundtrack.

The orchestra’s conductor, Dante Santiago Anzolini, said: “All pieces were introduced to the [Galápagos] public for the first time in history, since no orchestra of this size had ever set foot on the Galápagos.”

The concerts also featured orchestral arrangements of music written by the islands’ inhabitants, in genres ranging from rap to folk and pop, each written with “lyrics underlining the blessings of ecological paradise”.

The Galápagos Islands truly are an ecological paradise, home to some of the most astonishing creatures on planet Earth.

From the blue-footed booby to the Sally Lightfoot crab, and the Magnificent Frigatebird, whose male birds have luminous red chests that puff out to attract females during the mating season, each island is full of fascinating wildlife that really has to be seen to be believed.

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