2023-06-24 08:48:00
Some days ago, Celia Eymann received a letter and, since then, she has been crazy with happiness and excitement. The letter said that she was invited to be part of the group of the murga La Gran Siete in the Uruguayan carnival -in its modality More Carnival– which will take place from February 1 to 28 of next year.
The letter in question, signed by Guillermo Lamolle, director of La Gran Sietehe continued, saying that “by virtue of the development that the ‘Uruguayan style’ murga is having in Argentina —and specifically in Patagonia— and, aware of the pioneering task that you have been developing in this regard for years, we believe that it would be of special interesting for you and for the murgas in general that you could participate in that experience”.
Since then, among other things, the pioneering word continues to circle within him. Because, as he confessed to BLACK RIVER Journal“being called a ‘pioneer’ fills me with pride because, first, I think it’s true and then I remember all the work that went into building a genre from scratch, first getting together as three to listen to murga that we got on cassettes and then I remember hours and hours listening and making arrangements, writing them and then showing them to my friends”.
Celia Eymnann, in front of the murga “La Bufona”. (Photo: Jeremias Sartori)
Celia Eymann directs her own murga, “La Bufona”, which brings together fourteen 14 artists on stage, eleven in the choir and three on drums. The chorus is female and the drums are male. The oldest person is 58 years old and the youngest is 14. “This is not a minor characteristic”, Celia points out, “because it raises the human, cultural and artistic level, above all because that shows that it is a musical expression and theatrical that began to be transmitted from generation to generation like any other popular knowledge. We are no longer a bunch of friends who get together to sing”.
At the age of 18, Celia began to study cello at the Patagonian University Institute of the Arts (IUPA). He took private singing and cello lessons and directed murgas, choirs and vocal groups. (Photo: Ricardo Edelstein)
He was part of music workshops and choirs from the area, he participated in meetings and different scenarios, as a teenager he joined street art groups, such as batucadas and murgas of Buenos Aires and Uruguayan style. At 18 years old, began studying cello at the Patagonian Institute of Arts (IUPA), at the same time he took private singing and cello lessons and directed murgas, choirs and vocal groups. He studied at the Higher School of Music of Neuquén and he was part of ensembles, groups and duets and attended workshops and meetings with different teachers. in dialogue with BLACK RIVER JournalCelia Eymann referred to this unique invitation, which still makes her tremble:
Every murguista outside of Montevideo has ever dreamed of participating in a “real” murga as we call it here. For any of us, an invitation like this is like playing in First Division.
Celia Eymann
Q: How did you take the invitation from Montevideo?
R: I received it with great joy, here in Neuquén I always did things in a self-taught way and even though we murguistas here can travel to take classes, get recordings, books or spend some time “as a tourist” in the Montevidean carnival, Our references in the murga are always from Montevideo and we even choose our favorite murgas. Many times those of us who are driving the projects (not only in the choir and arrangements, but also writers, actresses and costume designers) act as workshop leaders or teachers in our own murga.
Being called a “pioneer” fills me with pride, because first I think it’s true and then I remember all the work that went into building a genre -which today is expanding- from nothing itself, first getting together as three to listen to murga that we got on cassettes and then, I remember hours and hours listening and making arrangements, writing them and then showing them to my friends.
I remember that I felt very lonely on a musical level. With the first murga I learned many things at the group and direction level, it gave me experience on stage and also friendships that I still have to this day. But, it cost me a lot of anger, crying, sadness… I also suffered from disrespect and machismo (times have changed, it was not the same to occupy that position as a female director 20 years ago as it is now).
Being called a “pioneer” fills me with pride, because first I think it’s true and then I remember all the work that went into building a genre from nothing itself».
Celia Eymann.
Q: How do you prepare to face this project in a “solo” way?
A: I’m a little nervous, but I also know that it’s going to be very enriching, not only for me but also for those who work with me here and for the entire murguera community. I also know it’s going to be a lot of fun, the director asked me to arrange a part, he says that whenever there are musicians who can arrange voices, he invites them to do so. For me it is a luxury and luck, working with your teachers is not an everyday invitation.
Celia, in cellist mode. (Photo: Ricardo Edelstein)
Q: How do you imagine your participation in Montevideo?
R: I know it will be very beautiful, especially because he trusted me and my experience in group singing, but I will have to adapt to his own forms, in popular singing the forms change from one region to another, due to the context, the weather, the meals, the tunes, the times of daily life and so on. That is something that I will notice while there. I think this invitation is the first time in my life that I feel like a southerner.
It will be the first time that I do not have to occupy the role of director, I think that all the people who direct murga in this area what we want most is to be in the choir, and every murguista outside of Montevideo has ever dreamed of participating in a murga “really” (laughs), that’s what we call it here, like “The Big Seven”, that is, for any of us, an invitation like this is like playing in First Division.
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