Baroque Music from Mexico, Perú & Brazil Celebrated

Composer and professor Elbio Rodríguez Barilari explores the connections between Spanish and Latin American music from the colonial era.

Mar. 23, 2026 at 1:00am

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The music written and performed in Latin America during the Colonial period (16th to early 19th centuries) has become more popular in recent years. Composer, musician, and professor Elbio Rodríguez Barilari, who was born in Uruguay and now teaches in the United States, has been at the forefront of bringing this rich musical tradition to wider audiences through his lectures, compositions, and scores for plays.

Why it matters

Barilari's work shines a light on the vibrant and underappreciated Baroque music that emerged from Mexico, Peru, and Brazil during the colonial era, helping to preserve and promote this important part of Latin American cultural heritage.

The details

Barilari studied at the Conservatório Universitario in Montevideo, Uruguay before continuing his education in Brazil. Since settling in the United States in 1998, he has lectured at the University of Chicago and the Instituto Cervantes, and is currently on the faculty of the University of Illinois at Chicago. As a composer, Barilari has received commissions from the Grant Park Music Festival, Concertante di Chicago, Chicago Park District, and Orquesta Filarmonica de Montevideo, and has provided scores for more than forty plays in the Americas.

  • Barilari was born in 1953 in Montevideo, Uruguay.
  • Barilari studied in Brazil at the Cursos Latinoamericanos de Música Contemporáne.
  • Barilari has lived in the United States since 1998.

The players

Elbio Rodríguez Barilari

A composer, musician, and professor who was born in Montevideo, Uruguay and now teaches in the United States. He has been at the forefront of bringing the rich Baroque musical tradition of Latin America to wider audiences.

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What they’re saying

“The music written and performed in Latin America during the Colonial period (16th to early 19th centuries) has become more popular in recent years.”

— Elbio Rodríguez Barilari, Composer, musician, and professor

The takeaway

Barilari's work is helping to preserve and promote the vibrant and underappreciated Baroque music that emerged from Mexico, Peru, and Brazil during the colonial era, shining a light on this important part of Latin American cultural heritage.