3rd National Timple Gathering launches new issue of Timple magazine to promote Canarian identity

The Fuerteventura Island Council launched the programme for the 3rd National Timple Gathering this Thursday. The event runs from 22 to 25 October at the Fuerteventura Conference and Training Centre.

The gathering opened with the launch of the second issue of *Timple*, the first monographic publication in the history of the Canary Islands devoted to the instrument.

Publication coordinator Marcos Hormiga said he was proud “of what remains in print in a magazine whose importance lies not only in the information it offers today, but also in what it will mean for future generations”.

*Timple* brings together established players and emerging talents. Performers featured include Domingo Rodríguez ‘El Colorao’, Benito Cabrera, David Duque, Derque Martín Cruz, Julia Rodríguez, Laura Martel and Pedro Ageno, alongside writers such as Elsa López, Félix Hormiga, Yeray Rodríguez and Marcos Hormiga himself.

The magazine also features contributions from researchers Félix Morales and Víctor J. Landeria, as well as interviewers and journalists of the calibre of Juan García Luján, who writes about José Antonio Ramos, a leading figure in the world of the timple in the Canary Islands.

Fuerteventura Island Council president Lola García said: “The timple is the instrument most representative of our culture. Fuerteventura is home to outstanding timple players and researchers who are leading figures, and their legacy will remain indelible thanks to publications such as *Timple*, which is now releasing its second issue.”

Culture councillor Rayco León said: “As part of the National Timple Gathering, we believe it is essential to preserve the voices of composers, performers and writers in a publication that serves as a vital tool for bringing such a uniquely local instrument to a wider audience.” He added: “The magazine will be taken to schoolchildren, libraries and other accessible settings so that the timple can reach an ever-wider audience.”

Domingo Rodríguez ‘El Colorao’ said: “There are specialist magazines devoted to traditional instruments such as the charango. That is why, at the previous edition, we came up with the idea of producing a magazine focused on the timple. It resulted in a high-quality publication, helping the timple continue to grow and the National Timple Gathering to gain momentum.”

The Culture Department is organising this edition of the National Timple Gathering, with artistic direction by Domingo Rodríguez ‘El Colorao’. The Fuerteventura Island Music School is also collaborating.

The programme for the 3rd National Timple Gathering continues this afternoon with the opening of the exhibition ‘Timple: Tradition and Avant-Garde’ by David Sánchez, and a workshop on making timples from recycled materials led by Adán Moreno.

At 8.30pm, Pino&Pino will give a concert featuring the charango, a string instrument of Hispanic American origin related to the timple, alongside pieces from the Andean tradition, contemporary music and works from the Spanish Baroque.

Activities continue until 25 October. The programme is available at https://culturafuerteventura.es/evento/iii-encuentro-nacional-del-timple/

The gathering will continue throughout the year, with activities in schools and the participation of students.