Joaquín Orellana to honor Miguel Ángel Asturias with musical tribute

Guatemalan composer Joaquín Orellana will perform “La tumba del Gran Lengua” as part of a series of cultural activities celebrating the legacy of Nobel Laureate Miguel Ángel Asturias. The scenic cantata, which Orellana originally created between 2000 and 2001, combines music, acting, and spoken word using the composer’s signature sound tools.

The performances are scheduled for October 19, 24, and 30, 2026, at the Gran Sala Efraín Recinos within the Miguel Ángel Asturias Cultural Center. This tribute coincides with the repatriation of Asturias’s remains from France to Guatemala, following a government order to inter him at the cultural center named in his honor.

Orellana is currently rehearsing the work with musicians and conductor Julio Santos. The repatriation process and the subsequent funerary monument project have been coordinated by the Ministry of Culture and Sports.