MY CONVENTION

Tunos Decanos de Iberoamérica (TUDI)

Convention in Portugal & Spain

September 8th through September 18th of 2023

I’ve been a Tuno since 1973. Yes, you read that correctly. 50 years. However, from 1984 through 2004 I was completely disconnected from “La Tuna” because I had been transferred to Cincinnati from Mexico City by the company I worked for at the time. My reconnection with La Tuna got rekindled in 2004 because of a tragedy. I read about a Tuno from the Tuna de Derecho de Valladolid who had died in an air traffic accident in Santiago de Compostela in that year (his name was Diego Criado del Rey Sáez, Tuno Patán) and I briefly corresponded with some of the members of that Tuna to express my condolences. It was then that I started to reconnect, first with my Tuna San Sebatian in Mexico City and then with Tunos I had met in Spain in 1984 during the Festival Internacional de Tunas in Córdoba, Spain. Since then, I have had sporadic opportunities to “hacer Tuna”. Mexico City in 2009, Rome in 2018, Mexico City again in 2019, and Queretaro, Mexico, in 2022. Most of those experiences happened through various organizations of veteran Tunos, including the Tunos Decanos de Iberoámerica (TUDI) which I had joined in 2021.

When the TUDI Convención was announced that it would be in Portugal and Spain, I knew I would be there. This even though I visited Spain for almost 3 weeks earlier in 2023. But I was not going to miss this event.

Why was I so eager to attend? Above all I wanted to reconnect with brother Tunos that I had met decades ago, those I had met in the last few years, and those that I had not personally met. I also wanted to once again experience the thrill of singing and playing those songs that have given La Tuna that unique aura, but also interpreting songs from other countries where Tunas exist but that traditionally are not identified with La Tuna.

More importantly, the pandemic brought into sharp focus the importance of family and friends. It showed us how life can be fleeting and that one moment you are talking to someone promising you will see each other soon and the next moment they are gone. How was I going to let that opportunity slip by me.

Portugal is a country that I knew verry little about. Other than one day that my wife and I spent there in 1996, I hadn’t had the opportunity to truly visit. The prospect of visiting various cities had me very excited for I would finally get to better know a country that has also had tremendous influence in world history over the centuries. And while I have visited Spain several times and know it well, visiting Santiago de Compostela as a Tuno was something that I was also looking very much forward to. The last time I visited that place as a Tuno was in 1984.

The trip from Cincinnati took close to 24 hours total from the moment I left home to when I got to Guimarães. I was very tired but as soon as I saw Kiko, Dodotis, Sirena, Inka, Pulgarcito, and others at the Porto airport, my fatigue melted away. I was surprised since around that time is when jet lag hits me but it somehow disappeared. And here we were: Tunos from multiple countries, ready to experience what would become a memorable and emotional TUDI Convención.

My remembrances will fuse into each other as time passes but I can distinctly see four experiences that not just met my initial expectations but far exceeded them. They are:

• “Las Tertulias” or “Noches Bohemias” (or enjoying the evening with food, drinks, music, and song) – That first night in Guimarães, as we gathered at Largo de Oliveira plaza, was a crescendo of emotions, laughter, and music. Tunos from all over the Americas and Europe were mingling with each other like old friends, some reminiscing about past experiences, others creating future reminiscences. Personally, it was a joy to see old friends and meet in person those that I only knew through WhatsApp or TUDI Live programs. Reconnecting with everyone, watching and participating in singing, exchanging pins and patches…all of that was incredible. Also, it was very fulfilling personally to see Tunos from Spain that during my chats with them on WhatsApp I mentioned TUDI and made the trip to Santiago to be with us, some from as far away as Barcelona! That showed the power we can have in having other Tunos join us, even if they are not members, to partake of our moments together. But that one moment that I believe showed why I belong to TUDI and why I believe it provides me with a most personal and fulfilling experience as a Tuno and, yes, as a person, was in Santiago de Compostela. That moment was when a fairly large number of women, who apparently were in Santiago for a music festival and were listening to us in the Praza de Quintana, started all dancing while our music, music emanating from the instruments of Tunos from multiple countries, permeated the Praza and echoed through the evening. What a moment!

• “Turisteando y Eventos Especiales” (or Playing Tourist and Special Events) – I was very much looking forward to seeing Guimarães, Porto, Coimbra, Fátima, Braga, and Viana do Costelo, places I hadn’t visited. I was also looking forward to returning Santiago de Compostela, a city that the last time I visited as a Tuno was in 1984. Each one had a different feel to it and each one provided a different experience. During those visits, participating in events at the Universidad de Oporto, Universidad Portucalense, and Universidad de Santiago de Compostela made me think back to my student days and feel a certain measure of satisfaction and pride at how my own university education had enabled me to experience the world in ways I had never imagined. Not to mention fulfilling a dream of visiting the Palacio de Fonseca and the Museo de la Casa de la Troya as a Tuno and singing in those places! What moments!

An added plus was listening to Percha’s presentation which made me realize how different we continue to think about the evolution of Tuna music and its instruments. This is something I rarely think about, but it gave me food for thought to continue leaning about this aspect of our genre.

Beyond the actual experience of seeing these places and participating in the various events, experiencing it with spouses and girlfriends was unique. Why? Because it represents what the Tuna really is. A family. An extended family, yes, but a family whose individuals support each other, share in the experiences, and can be a part of our celebrations and “bulla”. Even though I was a part of the Association where families were able to accompany us, it is with TUDI that I felt, when seeing all the people that accompanied our members, that we were truly meeting our stated mission of “respetando los usos y costumbres de cada país que las acoge” (respecting the uses and customs of each country that embraces them). Lastly, visiting the Museo Casa de la Troya was an indescribable feeling for me. I was looking forward to it but standing inside the museum, singing outside its walls, and seeing the Beca from my Tuna and that of TUDI were moments that made me think to myself “this is what it’s all about and all theses decades lead up to these experiences”.

• “Conciertos” (or Concerts) – Having been in countless concerts, presentations, “rondas”, “serenatas”, and the like is old hat for me. However, the one thing I was not prepared for was the intensity that I personally put into preparing myself for these events. I spent countless hours in the evenings during the week and on weekends making sure I could play the arrangements and sing the songs. In addition, Mambo, who did an outstanding job coordinating all the music, also asked me to provide the Spanish Lute arrangements for three songs from Spain (Fonseca, Tuna Compostelana, and La Morena de mi Copla), which I gladly did but added to the time I needed to rehearse. Why did I put in all this effort? I have always had a competitive streak in me plus a perfectionist attitude (that at times gets me into trouble). But it was more than that. I did it because I wanted to enjoy the moments we would spend together on stage and not have to worry about whether I was playing the songs correctly. I wanted to sense and experience what it is to play with veteran Tunos from around the world in an environment of camaraderie, showmanship, and fusion of styles and instruments. And my personal experience on stage was beyond what I had experienced before. Being among Tunos of great lineage was truly an honor and witnessing our new members receiving our Beca was a proud moment for me as we continue working towards growing and enhancing TUDI.

• “Cenas Formales” (Formal dinners) – The frenzy of the days visiting locations, having concerts, rehearsing, “Noches Bohemias” was exhilarating and very fulfilling. But the formal dinners in Guimarães and Santiago offered me special moments to get to know Tunos that I hadn’t had the opportunity on a more personal level. I was surprised at the things I had in common with the people I shared tables with during both dinners. But I was also very pleased to talk about topics I had very little knowledge about. And all in a spirit of camaraderie in a relaxed environment where no one thought about which country we came from, what Tuna we were from, or how long we have been Tunos.

If I had to sum up the 10 days I spent in Portugal and Spain with all of my “Hermanos del negro mester” it would be this: the lifelong experiences and learnings that we all have by being a Tuno were visibly and emotionally manifested during those days. The “gravy on top” (as we say in the USA) was that many of us got to see new places and experience new sights while performing the music we know and learning new pieces in the process. What better way to show what TUDI is than through music that fuses styles with songs from different countries!

Aúpa Tuna and Aúpa Tunos Decanos de Iberoamérica!

José F. Guerra "Cincinnati"