Inti-Illimani

press release: The Wisconsin Union Theater will welcome Inti-Illimani on Sunday, October 22, 2017, at 8:00 pm in Shannon Hall. Pricing is as follows: UW-Madison students are $10, Union Members and Non-UW Students are $33, $29, and $25, UW Faculty and Staff are $35, $31, and $25, and the general public are $37, $33, $25 (Youth up to 18-years-old are $20. Up to two youth tickets with a regular ticket). Tickets can be purchased on our website, at the Memorial Union box office or by calling 608-265-ARTS.

Inti-Illimani is the iconic face of the Chilean Nueva Canción movement, which celebrated a renewal of Latin American folk and traditional music in response to the dominance of North American and European influence in the continent during the 1970s and 1980s.

Inti-Illimani was formed in 1967 by then students at Universidad Técnica del Estado at Santiago, Chile and gained national popularity for their song “Venceremos (We shall win!),” which soon became the anthem of the Popular Unity government of Salvador Allende. In 1973, as they were on tour abroad, General Augusto Pinochet launched a coup d’etat and took power. Having heard of the numerous extra-judicial killings by Chile’s army, including the murders of many fellow artists, they took up residence in Italy, resulting in “the longest tour in history” as they remained in exile while continuing their efforts supporting Chilean democracy. In September 1988 their exile was lifted and they returned to Chile and started touring again.

Having produced over forty albums, the group is celebrating fifty years of exploring human rights, imperialism, democracy, and the Latin American identity through traditional Chilean folk music with an edgy twist.

This performance is presented by the Wisconsin Union Theater’s Performing Arts Committee.  This concert was supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wisconsin Arts Board. Other sponsors are Anonymous Fund, Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program (LACIS), and Sahney Fund. Media sponsors are WORT 89.9 FM and Capital City Hues.