After the parade of the partying Jeep Willys and the painting contest held over the weekend in Valledupar, this Monday, April 29, the Children’s Accordion Player and Minor Accordion Player competitions begin in the 57th version of the Vallenata Legend Festival.
Both competitions will begin at 8 am, at the La Pedregosa Recreation Center. In this first round, the boys and girls will perform only 2 airs: stroll and merengue, and on Tuesday the 30th they will close that stage by performing songs in the rhythms of son and puya.
SECOND ROUND AND FINALS
On Wednesday, May 1, in that same recreation center, the second round of the competitions will take place, where the accordion players must perform the 4 vallenatos airs before the qualifying jury, at least one song in the repertoire must be by Iván Villazón , this year’s honoree.
For its part, on Thursday, May 2, in the morning there will be the semifinal and in the afternoon of that same day there will be the grand final where the names of the children’s king and the minor queen of 2024 will be announced.
46 REGISTERED, BETWEEN BOYS AND GIRLS
According to the Vallenata Legend Festival Foundation, which organizes the largest accordion festival, 33 boys registered in the Children’s Accordion Player category, while 13 girls registered in the Minor Accordion Player category.
It is necessary to remember that this last category was launched at the 52nd Vallenato Festival, in 2019, as well as the Acordeonera Mayor, so that girls, young people and adults would have the spaces to compete among themselves and the role of women in folklore had greater visibility.
This year, the Minor Accordionist category increased the number of entries, since the previous year only 9 accordion players competed for the crown.
CURRENT MONARCHS
The 2023 queen was the bumanguesa Sofía Pinzón Donado, who performed the ride ‘Qué dolor’, by Luis Enrique Martínez; the merengue ‘Mi morenita’; The song is ‘Vuelvo a Compete’, by JJ Murgas, and the song ‘My Talent’, by Miguel Avendaño, her teacher, who transferred the copyright to the current monarch.
For his part, Armando Luis Espitia, a native of Córdoba, was the winner of the children’s crown. In second place was Fernando Salcedo, and in third place was Nehemías Camaño, who will surely participate again.
By Andrea Guerra Peña / EL PILÓN.
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