String quartet to close national concert season

The Parker String Quartet, a U.S. ensemble, will offer the last performance of the regular season of the National Concert Association, on Monday, September 11, at Atlapa Convention Center at 8:00 p.m.

Praised by the Washington Post as "a quartet that performs in an irresistible manner and with extraordinary grace and flexibility," the Parker String Quartet has established itself as one of the most dynamic groups of recent times.

Founded in 2002, the group was the winner of the Concert Artists Guild International Contest in New York (2005), and only three months later, won the prestigious Mozart Award.

The String Quartet has performed throughout Europe and the United States. Its 2005-2006 agenda includes concerts at Weill Recital Hall (Carnegie Hall), Washington's Corcoran Gallery and Amherst College. It is based in Boston's New England Conservatory, where it was selected as Ensemble of Honor in 2002 and 2003. Tickets cost $30 (general public), $15 (musicians) and $5 (students with ID), for sale at the Argosy Bookstore, on Vía Argentina (tel. 223-5344) and at the National Concert Association, 217-7236.

The group, Solo Brasil.

The group, "Solo Brasil," a cultural ambassador of the jumbo-sized South American country, will offer a performance at Panama City’s National Theater on September 18 at 8:00 p.m.

The 90-minute show features regional rhythms and the numerous cultural influences that have shaped the history of Brazil.

Founded in 1999, Solo Brasil represents the union of ten diplomats, social scientists and musicians who present, in 90-minute shows, the musical history of Brazil, covering regional rhythms and the numerous cultural influences that have shaped them, as well as contemporary pop artists and the famous Rio Carnival. The ensemble works under the coordination of the Brazilian Foreign Relations Ministry.

Solo Brasil has performed in the main cities of Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, North Africa and the United States. Its Panamanian concert is part of a tour of Central America.

The group will perform music by Chiquinha Gonzaga, Pixinguinha, Donga, Carlota, Ary Barroso, Noel Rosa, Luiz Gonzaga, Lupicínio Rodríguez, Dorival Caymmi, Tom Jobim, Caetano Veloso and others.

For more information, log on to www.gruposolobrasil.com.br

The latest techniques in crafts for children, Christmas and general decoration will be taught by international experts during the eighth annual International Handicraft Fair, scheduled for September 30-October 1, at Atlapa Convention Center, from noon to 8:00 p.m.

Lecturers from Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Brazil and Central America have confirmed their participation in the event, which will also feature foods prepared by international chefs. Admittance is $2.50. Call Atlapa's box office, 226-7000.

One of the best regional festivals for tourists, the Mejorana Festival, takes place from Sept. 21-26. The festival shows the strong Hispanic traditions of the central provinces. Held in the town of Guararé, province of Los Santos, the event is a tribute to La Mejorana, a guitar-like folkore instrument.

The six-day festival offers street parades, folklore dance presentation, comic bullfights, games and competitions, including a “folk-fiddle contest”.

Panama’s VFW Post 3876 invites all former members of the U.S. military with overseas service to join the group for camaraderie, public relations, V.A., claims, benefits and privileges.

The group meets at 5 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month. For details, contact Herb Friedlander, in Panama City, e-mail: ps0181hf@aol.com

Wednesdays are Jazz Nights at Casa Góngora, in Panama City’s Old Quarter, featuring the music of the Carlos Ubarte Jazz Quartet, from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. These weekly recitals are organized by the Municipality of Panama. Admittance is free.

Casa Góngora is one of the oldest Spanish colonial houses of the San Felipe district. Built in the 18th century, it belonged to a prominent family by the last name of Góngora. It was restored in the mid-1990’s and transformed into a museum, art gallery, and a small concert hall, with capacity for 70 spectators.

For more information, call: 212-1350.

The town of Antón, in the province of Coclé, will hold its annual "Torito Guapo" ("Handsome Bull") Festival October 12-16.

A tradition brought by the Spanish during the colonial period, the festival takes its name from the main character of the celebration –a man dressed in a bull-like costume,who chases passers-by down the streets. There are also folklore performances and outdoor dance parties.

Bocas bay front.

The largest fair of Panama’s Caribbean coast, Feria del Mar, will take place September 13-18 on Isla Colón, Bocas del Toro.

The fair is different from all other country fairs in Panama in that it takes place when most of the country is in the rainy season (except Bocas) and due to the cultural mix of the region, which exhibits a strong, Afro-Caribbean influence, Native American traditions and a growing expat population from North America, Europe and South America.

Feria del Mar, which translates as "Fair of the Sea", offers lots of tropical dancing parties, folklore performances, water sports (Bocas is a maritime region), concerts and games.

View of Punta Caracol Acqua-lodge, Bocas del Toro.

CAPAC Expohabitat:

A country home in Boquete, province of Chiriquí.

Visitors and expats interested in purchasing a home in Panama will be able to visit with 250 real estate companies, developers and banks during CAPAC Expohabitat 2006, the largest fair of its kind in Central America and the Caribbean, at Atlapa Convention Center, September 20-24.

The fair is also for anybody interested in construction, home improvement, gardening and decoration. CAPAC Expohabitat was first held 21 years ago, organized by Cámara Panameña de la Construcción (the Pana-manian Construction Chamber).

Panama's real estate and construction industries are experiencing an all-time boom, fostered by a growing economy and the arrival of retirees and second-home buyers from northern countries. The area of Boquete, in the highlands of Chiriquí has attracted scores of residential developments for expats in the last five years, although also popular are Altos del María in the western sector of the province of Panama, the Pacific beaches region between Chame and Santa Clara, and Costa Arriba, in the province of Colón.

In the meantime, Panama City continues to grow to the skies, with over 100 high-rise residential complexes under construction, including some of the tallest buildings in Latin America. The suburban areas of the Panama Canal basin are also attracting expats.

More than 250 construction, real estate companies and banks assist to the fair.

A show depicting the world of fashion between 1900 and 2006 will take place on Monday, September 11, at Panama City's Caesar Park Hotel. It is called "Moda Vintage", and will also include a food festival, and an exhibit of antiques. The event is organized by Asociación de Damas Voluntarias de la Vírgen de la Medalla Milagrosa, a charity organization and starts at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets: $50, $75 and $100.

Concert:

The choir has its origins in the Middle Ages.

The Vienna Boy's Choir, perhaps the best-known children's singing ensemble in the world, will offer a concert at Atlapa Convention Center on September 17 at 7:00 p.m.

The choir is the modern-day descendant of the boys' choirs of the Viennese Court, dating back to the late Middle Ages. The choir was, for practical purposes, established by a letter written by Maximilian I on 7 July 1498. In the letter the Emperor instructed court officials to employ a singing master, two basses and six boys. A Slovene, Jurij Slatkonja, became the director of the ensemble.

The role of the choir (numbering between fourteen and twenty) was to provide musical accompaniment to the church mass. The boys received a solid musical education, which in most cases had a significant impact on the rest of their lives, as many went on to become professional musicians.

In 1924 the "Vienna Boys' Choir" was officially founded and has become a professional music group. Since 1948 the Palais Augarten has served as their rehearsal venue and boarding school which goes from kindergarten level up to middle school level.

The choir is a private, not-for-profit organization. There are approximately 100 singers between the ages of ten and fourteen.

For more information, call: Atlapa's box office, 226-7000.

New museum exhibits works by Rodin

An exhibit of works by French-born artist Rodin, marked the opening of the new headquarters of Panama's Anthropology Museum, in the suburban community of Llanos de Curundu. The exhibit is part of the collection treasured at Mexico's Soumaya Museum, considered the largest and most important collection of Rodin's works outside of France.

The new 4-story Anthropology Museum offers 10,000-square-meters exibiting artifacts representing the pre-historic period of the Isthmus, from approximately 10,000 B.C to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the early 16th century.

The new museum also has archaeology labs, a specialized library, and six hectares of tropical rainforests as an out-door exhibit. The three major indoor exhibits are: the Reina Torres de Araúz hall; the Gold Room, which presents artifacts made by pre-colonial goldsmiths, and the Barriles Hall, were stone statues made by ancient Native American nations of the province of Chiriquí.

The Museum honors the memory of Reina Torres de Araúz, the country's most outstanding anthopologist. It was founded in the mid-1970 at the former railroad station, a Neo-Classic building on Plaza Cinco de Mayo which has now become an arts school.

The new facilities of the museum are within walking distance from the Metropolitan Nature Park.