BerkleeICE Mentee Kickstarts Bolivian Sounds

Luis Gamarra kickstarts his lifelong ambition to make a Berklee education and all of the opportunities that come with it more accessible to his fellow Bolivians. 

April 24, 2015

Santa Cruz, Sucre, La Paz, and Cochabamba, Bolivia will join the likes of Beijing, London, and Tel Aviv on Berklee's World Tour (live auditions) thanks to the efforts of BerkleeICE student Luis Gamarra and his startup Bolivian Sounds to the World.

One of the first startups to be nurtured by BerkleeICE, Bolivian Sounds to the World aims to give Bolivians access to the top artistic schools in the world and all the opportunities such an education brings with it. The project is in the process of creating a "Sounds of Bolivia" video as a stage for homegrown talent to be showcased to the world. The team have already recorded an arrangement of the Bolivian National Anthem using some of the nation's most beautiful folk instruments, featuring Grammy nominee, Eddy Navia, on the charango, as well as both Berklee and native Bolivian musicians. Gamarra now plans to take the team of musicians, dancers, and actors to Uyuni, the largest salt lake in the world, to produce a video that will be unveiled on Bolivian Independence Day (August 6), sponsored in conjunction with Bolivia's Ministry of Culture.

The organization has already garnered the support of Amaszonas Airlines, Universidad UPSA, Centro Boliviano Americano and Bolivia's Ministry of Culture. 

Watch a music video for the Bolivian National Anthem produced by Sonidos Bolivianos:

To find out more about the organization and watch their promotional video, visit the Kickstarter page.