Residency time: 11 - 16 April 2025
Show time: friday 23th of May at 22h during Vruchtbare Grond festival
We asked La Sonora Amberina some questions:
Where are you from and how does that affect your work?
We are from Mexico and Colombia, but we are based in Belgium, where we founded La Sonora Amberina. The music we play has become a bridge between our cultures and a way to stay connected to our roots while embracing our new home. It is the music our parents love, the rhythms we grew up dancing to, and the sounds that accompany both our celebrations and our moments of nostalgia. For us, cumbia is more than just a genre—it is the language through which we express ourselves, our musical mother tongue. In a foreign land, it gives us a sense of belonging, and through it, we invite others to share in the joy, energy, and warmth of our culture.
Where do you find inspiration?
We find inspiration in family gatherings, in the scent of home-cooked meals, and in the warmth of our childhood memories. It’s in the way our parents taught us to dance, in the laughter shared around a table, and in the natural rhythm of the body when music starts to play. But we also find inspiration in the history of our people and in the migration of music itself. Cumbia is a genre shaped by movement—of rhythms, cultures, and people. As musicians living far from home, we embrace this journey, carrying the sounds of our roots while letting them evolve in new places.
What’s your background?
Nadia Plancarte Huamantalla was born in Mexico into a family of luthiers. She has been studying the cello for 16 years and completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp in Belgium. Beyond her work with La Sonora Amberina, she is also a member of Planquartet, a string quartet she co-founded.
Alejandro Sierra Alzate was born in Manizales, Colombia. At 16, he moved to Medellín to study music and has always been deeply passionate about Colombian and Latin American music. He is particularly interested in improvisation and the rhythmic richness of his musical heritage. Alongside Nadia, he is also a member of Planquartet, bringing his unique perspective and energy to the ensemble.
Together, they founded La Sonora Amberina as their Creative End Project at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp. They chose cumbia as the heart of the project because it is the rhythm that connects their cultures, blending the musical traditions of both Mexico and Colombia. Long before starting this ensemble, they both shared a love for cumbia—not just as musicians, but as dancers, finding joy in the energy and movement of the genre.
