Will 3000 Panpipe Playing Sikuris in Puno Acheive Guinness Greatness this November?

Talk of challenging the current Guinness World Record for largest Sikumoreno orchestra, currently held by Bolivia's La Paz Department, has been fluttering about for years. But this year, it looks like things are finally set in place.

It will all take place this Nov 11ths, from 10am, upon the shores of Lake Titicaca on Avenida Sesquicentenario-Alameda Universitaria in front of the main entry door of UNA-Puno, as part of Puno's 344^th founding anniversary celebrations. Ralf Hana, the only authorized judge in all of South America, will arrive to Puno for the occasion.

In order to beat the current record, of 2,300 musicians, institutions and the general population of all the municipalities, provinces, and districts of the Puno region will be participating with the aim of showing up in force and surpassing 3 thousand musicians.

One of the requirements is that the group present 5 songs from the international, national, and local levels. These have already been selected, and under the selecting presiding orchestral conductor, the gathered musicians will play Franz Joseph Haydn's 1797 String Quartet as their international selection, and the Condor Passes (El Cóndor Pasa) and Hymn to the Sun (Himno al Sol) as their national selections. The locally-based songs will be Huajchapuquito, Cerrito de Huajsapata (about the natural lookout known as Huajsapata Hill), and Flor de Kactus.

Those interested have had their identities verified throughout the last months and were given a cd of the songs and the written music to prepare, with a few practices throughout the last week. Inscription has been free for anyone who wants to take part, although the inscription period ends tomorrow on Oct 30^th.

Some of the other anniversary events leading up to the Sikuri orchestra are the parades featuring traditionally dressed folkloric dancers and musicians, the first of which was yesterday. There will be a food fair, Sabores Andinos, running from Nov 1^st through 3^rd. Also on the 3^rd, there'll be daytime festivities and evening outdoor concerts (the Gran Serenata). The following day is the main day of celebrations, when hundreds of local artists participate in the ritual reenactment of the rise of the founders of the Inca empire, Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo, from the waters of Lake Titicaca, in reference to their origin legend.