Sound Travels: A Cultural Expedition Through Latin America

Prepare to be transported across borders in 'Sound Travels: A Cultural Expedition Through Latin America'.

This five-week course offers an engaging exploration of Latin America's rich musical heritage, tracing its evolution through cultural fusion, historical context, and regional expression. Beginning with the origins of tango and milonga in the Río de la Plata, we follow the rhythms of Afro-Argentine roots, European immigration, and indigenous traditions. We then journey through Brazil’s transformation from the vibrant percussion of samba to the smooth sophistication of bossa nova, highlighting artists like João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim. The course continues through the Caribbean, where African polyrhythms, Spanish melodies, and migration gave rise to merengue and salsa, reflecting resilience and diasporic identity.

In later sessions, we explore folk traditions from across Latin America, including the celebratory son jarocho, lively cumbia, and spirited joropo, while spotlighting modern interpreters such as Lila Downs and Luis Miguel. The final session focuses on the haunting melodies of Andean panpipes and charangos, emphasizing how indigenous sounds continue to shape contemporary music. Together, these sessions provide a deeper appreciation of how Latin American music embodies cultural memory, adaptation, and innovation across centuries.

No experience required—just an open heart and a love for rhythm and melody.

Session 1: Argentina & Uruguay – Tango traditions and the evolution of the Bandoneón

Session 2: Brazil – From Samba to Bossa Nova

Session 3: The Caribbean - Salsa, Merengue and the influence of African rhythms

Session 4: Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela – Mariachi, Son Jarocho, and the rhythms of Cumbia and Joropo

Session 5: Peru, Bolivia & Ecuador – Indigenous legacies and Andean soundscapes

 Please see below the dates of the 5 in-person sessions at the RIAM:

• Friday 10th October 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM

• Friday 17th October 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM 

No sessions on the 24th October and the 31st October – 2 week break

• Friday 7th November 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM 

• Friday 14th November 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM 

• Friday 21st November 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM 

Please also check about our other Music Appreciation Course Option next term:

Close Conversations - The (He)Art of Chamber Music - Royal Irish Academy of Music (with Deborah Kelleher RIAM Director)

Participants should be 18+

Annalisa Monticelli

Pianist and singer Annalisa Monticelli is a highly sought-after musician who has performed internationally as a soloist and with ensembles and orchestras. Her passion for music began at a very young age, and she has dedicated her life to mastering a wide range of musical genres. Annalisa's passion for research began in Argentina were she developed a passion for native American music, researching the music of native tribes and completing two dissertations related to Latin American music (the history if tango and Astor piazzolla, and Violeta Gainza and her music education methodology). She is now completing a PHD on Michele Esposito and his piano school in Dublin between the year 1882 to 1926.

Annalisa studied classical and jazz piano, voice, conducting, musicology, chamber music, composition, and music education in Italy, Argentina, and the USA. She has been the pianist for the Irish-Latin band Baile an Salsa since 2018 and is a co-founder, pianist, and singer for the Dublin-based quintet Hibertango. An eclectic musician, Annalisa has over twenty years of experience performing and coaching chamber music, opera, musical theatre, tango, jazz, and Latin American music, both as a pianist and a singer.

During her time in the USA, she discovered a passion for musical theatre and worked actively as a pianist for both third-level students and professional productions. She later moved to Ireland, where she worked as a collaborative pianist at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and eventually became an Italian and vocal coach. In 2015, she was appointed Lecturer-Repetiteur at Dundalk Institute of Technology, where she also served as Program Director for the Music and Musical Theatre program. Annalisa played a key role in the development and success of the Musical Theatre program, bringing her passion for the genre to a third-level institution.

Since moving to Ireland, Annalisa has performed at major venues across the country, collaborated with the Irish National Opera as an Italian coach, and released several CDs. In recent years, she has performed and taught opera, diction, chamber music, piano, Irish art song, and improvisation in masterclasses and workshops in Spain, Italy, Portugal, England, Scotland, Switzerland, Poland, France, Malaysia, and the USA.

Annalisa is also the pianist, musical director, and co-arranger for Ensemble Amarcord, currently performing The Morricone Experience, a successful production touring Ireland, as well as the recently launched The Hans Zimmer Experience.