Austin Annual Gathering of Sikuris
A gathering to remember, heal, and reconnect through Indigenous Andean music, communal practice, and ancestral teachings.
What is Sikuri?
Sikuri is an Andean musical tradition where musicians share one melody across complementary panpipes, playing in synchronized breathing and collective rhythm. Practiced for centuries in the highlands of Peru and Bolivia, it is both a musical expression and a communal ceremony rooted in reciprocity, listening, and harmony.
The Austin Annual Gathering of Sikuris brings this rarely accessible tradition to the U.S. in an immersive, participatory experience.
Our Mission
What To Expect
Workshops on Andean instrument building
Community Sikuri ensemble sessions
Talks on Andean worldview and ancestral knowledge
Breath work and sound-based practices
Performances by visiting master musicians
Food and vendors celebrating South American traditions
The gathering is dedicated to sharing the ancestral music and cultural teachings of the Andes, creating a space for connection, healing, and meaningful cultural exchange. Through hands-on workshops, talks, instrument building, and performances led by visiting master musicians, we aim to introduce Austin to an Indigenous practice centered on community, alignment, and collective expression.
Overview
In this inaugural year, the gathering focuses on the heart of Andean musical practice: Sikuri, a tradition grounded in cooperation and shared presence. Participants will have the opportunity to learn traditional instruments, explore Andean Cosmovision, and experience music as a communal form of healing.
The gathering also serves as a key moment in the production of a documentary film currently in development, capturing the growth of Andean musical traditions in Austin and the stories of the visiting artists who embody this lineage.
Featured Artists & Cultural Leaders
Fernando Barragán (Bolivia)
A fifth-generation Sikuri and one of the most respected maestros of the tradition in South America. For decades, Fernando has taught, organized communities, and led Sikuri groups across the region. He founded the Gathering of Sikuris in Argentina in 2005—an influential annual event that continues today. Fernando is also a highly regarded Indigenous instrument maker, with some of his instruments held in the Smithsonian National Museum of the Native American, in Washington, D.C.
Comunidad Anqari – Co-Leaders (Oakland, CA)
Comunidad Anqari is one of only two active Sikuri communities in the United States. Their co-leaders carry a deep commitment to preserving and teaching Andean musical traditions, and their collaboration helps strengthen the small but growing network of Sikuris in the U.S. Alongside Comunidad Wayra in Austin, Comunidad Anqari plays a key role in keeping this practice alive and accessible.
Who This Is For
This event welcomes anyone drawn to culture, music, healing arts, or communal learning. It offers Latin American families a space to reconnect with ancestral traditions, while inviting Austin’s broader community to experience an art form rarely seen in the U.S.
Long-Term Vision
This first gathering lays the foundation for an annual event that grows into a cultural destination — a place people travel to experience Sikuri, learn from tradition bearers, and connect with a living Indigenous practice. Over time, the gathering aims to become a hub for Andean music, community building, and cross-cultural dialogue in Austin.
About the Organizers
The Austin Annual Gathering of Sikuris is organized by Alonso Luján (Peru) and Eduardo Cassapia (Bolivia), co-founders of Comunidad Wayra, an Andean music community based in Austin. We have been teaching free Andean music classes locally since 2024 and have each spent decades performing and sharing these traditions around the world.
Our work in Austin brings together students from many cultures and backgrounds. For this gathering, we are inviting master musicians from Peru and Bolivia—respected carriers of the Sikuri tradition—whose knowledge and presence are central to the workshops, performances, and documentary film.
More Information
For media inquiries, collaboration, or festival details, please reach out directly. Additional materials, documentation, and work samples are available upon request.