My travel is still in progress and I'm in Argentina at the moment, writing from the city of Rosario (february 2018).
Actually I visited just 2 countries, Chile and Argentina, and my plan is to visit more nations in the future. At the moment my next plan is going to Buenos Aires joining an "orquesta escuela" (School Orchestra) and Conservatory. I'd like to remember that education is public and free in Argentina and music teaching is at very good level.
With present post I'd like to share my experience with those who are wondering to do the same (traveling throught South America in order to meet Bandoneon players and teachers).
Experience in Chile
In Chile I realized bandoneon is an almost unknown instrument so don't expect to meet a lot of bandoneon players here.
The only place I was able to find bandoneon players was in Santiago del Chile and Valparaiso.
In Santiago del Chile I contacted Alfonso Covarrubias for a lesson. Alfonso is a bandoneon player who learned in Buenos Aires and in Germany, and I really recommend him as teacher. He plays at a nice level and has good ideas about expanding Bandoneon outside the role of Tango: he is working on a nice repertoire about Violetta Parra (one of the most important Chilean Singers) on Bandoneon.
He studied in Buenos Aires with Julian Peralta Orquesta Escuela and I will follow his advice to join the same Orquesta as well.
You can contact Alfonso Covarrubias on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=767338683
In Valparaiso I met Demian a guy who studied in Buenos Aires with Rodolfo Daloisio.
Unfortunately I was not able to take a lesson from him, but his advices encouraged me to do the experience of studying in Buenos Aires in the Conservatory.
You can contact Demian on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/elgatogarabato
In Chile I had several other musical experiences playing with very good level musicians (guitar players, singers, piano players etc.) but I wasn't able to meet more bandoneon teachers. As I said before, here the bandoneon is almost unknown.
Experience in Argentina
At the moment I can count on 2 experiences In Argentina: Salta and Rosario.
Argentina is rich in terms of bandoneon teachers and players, but if you want to take advantage of their presence in this country avoid to look for them in the months of december - january - february. In this period most of bandoneon teachers and players are travelling and playing in the various festivals across the country.
Anyway, if you go to Salta and would like to play folklore music don't miss "La Casona del Molino"(https://www.facebook.com/lacasonadelmolino/)
It's a restaurant with live music, but the music is made by the customers of the restaurant. Here you meet guitar players, singers, flute and zampona players, bombo players and they all partecipate to create folklore group music. Any musician is welcome. The music are the typical from the Chaco region (Zamba, Chacarera etc.) and the level is generally high, and the amusement as well. Bandoneon players are generally welcome because the presence of bandoneon completes the typical line-up and bandoneon is a really loved instrument here, and well-known, although not common as a guitar.
In Rosario I spent few days and I wasn't able to find bandoneon players, because I was here in february. But in Spring, Winter or Autumn you won't have problems to find teachers. In Rosario you have Music Schools and Universities and Milongas, Tango is very popular and bandoneon is loved and widely known.
Keep connected with the next update on learning bandoneon in Buenos Aires!
good luck!
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