Latin American Classical Music

Latin American classical music is the concert tradition composed across Latin America, from colonial sacred polyphony to the nationalist orchestral schools of the twentieth century and today's international contemporary scene. Its defining project has been the fusion of European forms — symphony, concerto, string quartet, opera — with Indigenous, African and Iberian folk materials: rhythms such as the danzón, huapango and chôro, folk melodies and vernacular instruments are absorbed into notated art music. Centred in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Cuba and Venezuela, the repertory is performed by the region's orchestras and exported worldwide.