Pink Floyd Sinfónico, Mahler, and Pergolesi — Cuenca's Symphony Orchestra Has a Stacked March
Chip Moreno
Six Concerts in One Month
Cuenca's Orquesta Sinfónica just opened its March calendar with a sold-out run of Carmina Burana last weekend — 150 artists on stage, orchestras, choirs, and ballet filling the Teatro Casa de la Cultura for two nights. If you missed it, don't worry. The best of March is still ahead.
Here's the full remaining lineup, with everything you need to know.
Coming Up This Week
Concierto I Temporada — Dvořák & Mahler
- Date: Thursday, March 13
- Time: 8:00 PM
- Venue: Teatro Casa de la Cultura (Calle Sucre y Hermano Miguel)
- Program: Antonín Dvořák's The Noon Witch and Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 4
- Conductor: Augusto Carrión Rodas (principal conductor)
This is the orchestra's first official season concert of 2026. Mahler's Fourth is one of the most accessible symphonies in the classical repertoire — warm, lyrical, and only about 55 minutes long. If you've been curious about attending a classical concert in Cuenca but felt intimidated, this is your on-ramp.
The Following Week
YouTube Premiere — Kurt Weill's Symphony No. 2
- Date: Monday, March 17
- Where: The orchestra's YouTube channel (free)
- Program: Kurt Weill's Symphony No. 2
The Sinfónica is launching a digital hall initiative — streaming recorded performances online. The first release features Kurt Weill, the German-American composer best known for The Threepenny Opera. His Second Symphony is darker, more angular, and a fascinating listen. Watch it from your couch with a glass of wine.
Chamber Concert at Pumapungo Museum
- Date: Tuesday, March 18
- Time: 4:00 PM
- Venue: Pumapungo Museum Hall (Calle Larga, near Huayna Cápac)
- Coordinator: Raquel Ortega
- Guest Soloist: Carlos Vinueza
Smaller, more intimate — chamber concerts at Pumapungo are one of Cuenca's hidden gems. The museum's hall has excellent acoustics, and the late-afternoon timing means you can combine it with a walk through the museum's gardens and archaeological site.
The Headliner
Pink Floyd Sinfónico
- Date: Friday, March 20
- Time: 8:00 PM
- Venue: Teatro Casa de la Cultura
- Conductor: Augusto Carrión Rodas
- Vocalists: Santiago Muñoz and Carolina Padrón
This is the one everyone will be talking about. The full Orquesta Sinfónica performing symphonic arrangements of Pink Floyd — Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, The Great Gig in the Sky, and more — with live vocalists.
If you were at the orchestra's previous rock-goes-symphonic concerts, you know these sell out. Get tickets early. Expect the expat community to show up in force for this one.
Month Finale
Stabat Mater — Pergolesi at Santo Domingo Church
- Date: Thursday, March 27
- Time: 8:00 PM
- Venue: Iglesia Santo Domingo (Calle Gran Colombia y Padre Aguirre)
- Conductor: Augusto Carrión Rodas
- Soloists: Soprano Vanessa Freire and countertenor Lisandro Loor
- Program: Giovanni Battista Pergolesi's Stabat Mater
This is special. Pergolesi's Stabat Mater is one of the most beautiful pieces of sacred music ever written — a duet between soprano and countertenor over delicate strings. And they're performing it inside Santo Domingo Church, not in a concert hall. The acoustics of an 18th-century church elevate this kind of music to another level entirely.
If you only go to one concert this month, make it this one.
Practical Tips
- Ticket prices for Sinfónica concerts are typically $5-$15 (Carmina Burana was $10 general / $15 VIP). Exact prices for remaining concerts haven't been announced — check the Orquesta Sinfónica de Cuenca's Facebook page for updates
- Tickets are usually available at the venue box office, Almacenes La Victoria (Centro and Mall del Río), and El Surtido
- Arrive early — seating is general admission and good spots fill up fast, especially for popular shows like Pink Floyd
- Dress code is casual by international standards — nice jeans are fine, but you'll see some Cuencanos dressed up
- The Teatro Casa de la Cultura is on Calle Sucre between Hermano Miguel and Coronel Tálbot — easy to reach on foot from El Centro or by tram (Sucre station)
Source: El Mercurio
