- [Announcer] Presented by the Kansas Arts Commission.

The Jopara Ensemble on the LG Desk Concerts.

(upbeat orchestral music) (upbeat orchestral music continues) (upbeat orchestral music continues) (upbeat orchestral music continues) (upbeat orchestral music continues) (upbeat orchestral music continues) (upbeat orchestral music continues) (audience applauds) - Thank you, thank you so much.

We're honored to be here at the Kansas State Capitol.

Our name is Jopara Ensemble.

Jopara is a word in Guarani.

In Paraguay, where we are from, we have two official languages, Spanish and also Guarani, which is a native language.

But most of the population speaks a mixture, and that mixture is called Jopara.

So we chose that name because the music that we play is also a mixture.

We are deep in the roots of Paraguayan music, but we also have the influence of world music and jazz and some other things that we picked up along the way.

What we just played is called "Causa Nenana" by Emiliano R. Fernandez.

And next, we're playing a piece that is slower, more meditative, called "Mi Oracion Azul," or "My Blue Prayer."

And it is very contrasting.

This piece is what we call a guarania, which is slow.

And the piece that we just played is a polka, which is like a Polish polka, just in name, nothing else.

And it doesn't sound like a Polish polka.

And after "Mi Oracion Azul," we'll play a piece that I composed called "Celebracion," which I wrote for the Independence of Paraguay celebration a couple of years ago when we went and played in Washington at the Paraguayan embassy.

Thank you.

(somber orchestral music) (somber orchestral music continues) (somber orchestral music continues) (somber orchestral music continues) (somber orchestral music continues) (somber orchestral music continues) (somber orchestral music continues) (somber orchestral music continues) (somber orchestral music continues) (audience applauds) (bright orchestral music) (bright orchestral music continues) (bright orchestral music continues) (bright orchestral music continues) (bright orchestral music continues) (audience applauds) - Next, we're going to perform two guaranias by composer Demetrio Ortiz.

The first one is "Recuerdos de Ulpacaraí," "Memories at Ulpacaraí Lake," which is a love story that he wrote after falling in love with a girl and never seeing her again.

Then the second one is "Mis Noches Sin Ti," translates to "My Nights Without You."

And he wrote this when he was living abroad and missing his family at home.

(lighthearted orchestral music) (lighthearted orchestral music continues) (lighthearted orchestral music continues) (lighthearted orchestral music continues) (lighthearted orchestral music continues) (lighthearted orchestral music continues) (lighthearted orchestral music continues) (lighthearted orchestral music continues) (audience applauds) (bright orchestral music) (bright orchestral music continues) (bright orchestral music continues) (bright orchestral music continues) (bright orchestral music continues) (bright orchestral music continues) (bright orchestral music continues) (bright orchestral music continues) (audience applauds) - Next we are going to play two polkas.

One of them, it's an iconic polka called "Galopera" by Mauricio Cardoso Campo.

And this particular version is actually by his son, Pinchi Cardoso Campo, both very esteemed musicians from Paraguay.

And the next piece after that is another polka, but it's a little bit more modern and is by a Paraguayan composer living in Florida and her name is Nancy Luzco.

And that's called "En el Parana."

And Parana is a river in Paraguay and it's very majestic, forceful, it's big.

So I hope that you can hear that in her song, in her piece.

Thank you.

(bright orchestral music) (bright orchestral music continues) (bright orchestral music continues) (bright orchestral music continues) (bright orchestral music continues) (bright orchestral music continues) (bright orchestral music continues) (bright orchestral music continues) (audience applauds) (bouncy orchestral music) (bouncy orchestral music continues) (bouncy orchestral music continues) (bouncy orchestral music continues) (bouncy orchestral music continues) - [David] I'm Kansas Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Congress David Toland.

Across our state and across the world, Kansas artists inspire us and enrich our communities with their talents and creativity.

This program celebrates those Kansas artists, some of whom you may know and others you may not, by bringing you remarkable performances from my office, the Lieutenant Governor's office within the beautiful and historic Kansas Statehouse.