The outstanding Argentine artist received the highest recognition from the Universidad Nacional de Rosario.
La Universidad Nacional de Rosario awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa to the renowned Argentine accordionist Raúl Barboza. The event took place at the University Cultural Space with free admission.
The rector Franco Bartolacci presided over the ceremony; the dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Arts, Alejandro Vila; and the director of the School of Music of said academic unit, Adriana Notta.
“We have the privilege of incorporating Raúl into our community, that is the meaning of this distinction, the most important of the Public University. His contribution to national and world culture is so great that there are plenty of reasons to make this recognition. Institutions, when they decide to recognize the trajectory of a personality, not only highlight the person's values but are also saying a lot about themselves", stressed the Rector, adding: "I want to thank you not only for being a voice that allowed the culture to be transmitted national to humanity, but also for his testimony of life that allows our University to value inside and outside our community what are the principles that we uphold and defend”.
Dean Vila highlighted that Barboza has left traces in the heart of our country's culture and thanked him for his "music, for his art, for his generosity on behalf of the Faculty of Humanities and Arts."
Raúl Barboza was born in 1938 and is the son of Guarani parents. Settled 30 years ago in Paris, he is to this day the quintessential diffuser of chamamé throughout the world.
In his extensive career, he was honored in our country three times by the Atahualpa Awards and recognized at the Konex Awards as one of the five best figures in the history of Popular Music.
Notably moved, Barboza appreciated the recognition and was proud to be able to belong to the UNR community. “I started at a very young age, at the age of ten, as a way of having fun. What I know is that both my mom and dad never forced me to be or not be something. From then on I kept playing always”.
At an international level, he was distinguished by presenting his first album in France for the “Grand Prix Charles Cros” award. The same album received the awards: "4 Ciefs Événement Télérama", "Diapason d'or" and "Choc Le Monde de la Musique", thus becoming the third Argentine artist, after Atahualpa Yupanqui and Astor Piazzolla, to receive such distinctions.
“I was always interested in defending our roots. I have the honor of being able to say that I am Honoris Causa from a Public University, for which I want to thank the people who have decided to give me this title. My heart is full of joy, love and emotion”, commented the prominent accordionist.
Linked to renowned artists of popular music and others that go beyond the folkloric genre, throughout his career the accordionist has shared stages, recordings and friendships with icons such as Astor Piazzolla, Atahualpa Yupanqui, Mercedes Sosa, Marcel Azzolá, Richard Galliano, Carlos García, Jairo, Ramón Navarro, Denis Tuveri, Cesária Évora, Peter Gabriel, Juanjo Domínguez, Ariel Ramírez, Rudy Flores, Ildo Patriarca, among many others.
In 2019, celebrating his 80 years of life and 71 years of artistic career, Raúl undertook a tour of the southern states of Brazil that culminated in the Teatro San Pedro de Porto Alegre, where 80 representatives of musical culture paid tribute to him for his contribution to renewing the way of playing the accordion in that region.
PJournalist: Gonzalo J García / Photographer: Pablo Correa.