Son del Sur offers an extensive repertoire of traditional and contemporary Latin American music, world music rhythms, as well as their original compositions incorporating instruments and rhythms from throughout South America. Son del Sur celebrates their cultural heritage through music. They fuse the dynamic rhythms of Latin America to celebrate through the rich diversity and blending of cultures.

Son del Sur has captivated the hearts of their listeners throughout the upper Midwest for more than 20 years. The musicians engage and connect with audiences in a genuine and thoughtful manner infusing their musical pieces with stories and humor that provide cultural context and meaningful human connection. With an expansive repertoire and incredible assortment of instruments, Son del Sur explores the rich heritage of Latin American folk music and expresses the soul and beauty of the Latin American continent and its amazing blend of cultures.

In true Latino-style, Son del Sur warmly welcomes audiences to enjoy the beauty of the music and experience their own introspective exploration of indigenous and contemporary cultures through the sharing of personal reflections on life and cultures that complement the musical journey.

Cultural and Educational Performances

Son del Sur takes students on a entertaining and educational musical tour of Latin America. The performers present a wide range of folk instruments from contrasting regions of Latin America. In a multi-media presentation, children, teachers and families expand their understanding of geography, culture and people. Audiences view images of the dramatic landscapes of South America, try out new dance steps, have an opportunity for hands-on experience playing percussion instruments, and meet puppets characters from these distant places. The program reflects Son del Sur's desire to convey the beauty of South American landscapes and culture and focuses on what unites people from all corners of the globe.

Nicolas & Mauricio

Son del Sur Quartet

Puppet presentation

History and Musician Bios

Son del Sur began performing together at a trio in the early 90s incorporating sounds and rhythms from throughout Latin America. Influenced by the musical icons from each of their native countries, as well as popular Latin American music groups of the times, such as Inti-Illimani, their repertoire was comprised of Mexican mariachi music, Colombian cumbias, Paraguayan polkas, Venezuelan joropos, Andean huaynos, romantic ballads, and more. Their first two albums Arriba la Fiesta and Ecos del Alma, showcased traditional favorites from Latin America.

Today, Son del Sur performs sophisticated original compositions and arrangements, as well as their vast repertoire of traditional Latin American folk music. Son del Sur founding musicians Nicolas Carter and Mauricio Sanchez are the core musicians and when performing as a trio, quartet or quintet they play with an ensemble of talented musicians, including Jorge Gonzalez, Eliezer Santos Freitas, Altamir Coehlo, Michael Bissonette and others.

Musician Bios

Nicolas Carter, Paraguayan lever harp

Nicolas Carter was raised in Paraguay where he learned to play the Paraguayan harp, the national folk instrument. He has been composing, recording and performing harp music for more than 20 years and has recorded nearly a dozen albums in the United States, Europe and South America, both as a solo artist and with Latin American and world music ensembles.

Nicolas finds inspiration for his original compositions from observations of nature and in precious moments of everyday life. His performances integrate harp music with these observations and reflections on culture, often with a hint of humor, to create a warm and inviting experience for audiences. He is often a featured concert performer and master teacher at national and international harp festivals.

Nicolas holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in theatre directing from the University of Minnesota and was a Fulbright scholar in France.

Mauricio Sanchez, String, wind and percussion instruments

Mauricio Sanchez, a master musician originally from Mexico, has performed with different Latin American folk music ensembles- from Afro-Caribbean, traditional Andean and Mexican, to autochthon music from the Americas. Mauricio has mastered many instruments and incorporates string instruments such as guitarron (Mexican bass guitar), vihuela (Mexican accompaniment guitar), charango (lead and accompaniment guitar from the Andean countries), acoustic guitar, with a variety of wind instruments from Andean countries (quena, quenacho, sikus, and more) and percussion instruments from throughout Latin America.

His vision of cultural roots inspires him to create original music rich in expressions with a timbre of contemporary and ancestral instruments in an exploration of signs generated in indigenous and contemporary philosophies of art.

Mauricio holds a masters degree in Architecture from the University of Arizona.

 Instruments:

Harp (Paraguay)

Guitarron (Mexico)

Quena (Los Andes)

Bombo (Argentina)