Alma Andina

Alma Andina, or Soul of the Andes, is a Minneapolis-based group that performs Andean and Latin American music. The group’s director Vladimir Garrido hails from northern Chile, where his mother Nia has been singing folk music for over 30 years. He created Alma Andina in 2007 with his cousin and uncle, and when his uncle returned to Chile, Vladimir sought new band members and recruited Nicolas Munoz and Matthew Levin, young talented Chileans.

The band was joined by two Americans, both of whom had lived in Chile and learned with its music and culture: Emily Savage, charango and flute, and guitarist Matt Kitchin. The group recorded an album that has helped bring the music they perform live to a wider audience. They are currently working on their second studio recording. Alma Andina derives its inspiration from a love of folklore, and a desire to share and promote Latin American music and the rich cultural heritage of the Andes