The Musicking Community

Episode 18: On Cross-Cultural and Intercontinental Collaboration

Edgar Girtain IV is an American living in Chile who recently collaborated with musicians in France. He shares with us how this cross-cultural and intercontinental project came about, as well as some of the challenges faced by musicians in the global south and ideas on how composers can make music more equitable. I’m sure you will find it an enlightening and inspiring conversation! I encourage you to visit Edgar’s website so you can stay up to date with his latest projects. He has an album of violin and piano music coming out soon that you don’t want to miss! Links are in the show notes!

Topics in this episode include:

• Music education in Chile
• Giving musical experiences to people in rural communities who have little opportunity to hear it
• The benefits of IMSLP
• The cost of sheet music, especially in the Global South
• Making music more equitable
• Cultural exchange opportunities
• Breaking down cultural barriers with music
• Reaching people by speaking their language
• Going against musical training in order to appeal to audiences on their terms
• Dignifying a culture’s folk music
• How music opens paths and opportunities and relationships for collaboration
• The way we interact with music changes us and the way we interact with the world

Edgar Fikes Girtain IV, is an American composer, residing in Puerto Montt since 2016. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education (BM) from Rutgers University, where he also obtained a Master’s degree in Music Theory and Composition (MA). In 2023, he earned his Doctorate (PhD) on scholarship at the State University of New York (SUNY) Buffalo under David Felder. His compositions have been performed and commissioned across Western Europe, the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East.

Dr. Girtain serves as the organist at the Lutheran Church of Puerto Montt, conducts choirs, is the founder of the Southern Chilean Composers Forum, and serves as the director of the Casa de las Artes at the Universidad Austral de Chile’s Puerto Montt Campus. In Southern Chile, he is recognized for his significant contributions to the field of music education as performer, arranger, and composer. In 2022, his climate change cantata, “Otro Viento Cantará,” premiered at the Teatro del Lago as part of the “Puedes Cantar” program by the Ibáñez Atkinson Foundation, featuring over 300 children from schools in the Los Lagos region. In the same year, he was honored by the municipality of Puerto Montt for his composition, “Una Joya Perdida.” His music is published by First String Press and JW Pepper.

Website: http://www.edgarfgirtainiv.com/