October 16, 2003

Riverside-La Sierra University Stahl Center presents the Marimba Nandayapa free in concert Saturday, October 25, at 7:00 p.m. in the Alumni Pavilion (4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside). Marimba Nandayapa is a family group comprising Zeferino Nandayapa, father, along with sons, Javier, Mario, Norberto and Oscar.

Zerferino Nandayapa formed the Nandayapa group in 1956. Nandayapa was preparing to become an orchestra conductor at the National Conservatory in Mexico City and did not have a piano. To practice, he performed many of his orchestral arrangements of classical music on the marimba and found that he could make excellent arrangements of classical music on the marimba. Today, he is one of the world’s first marimba players to master the art of playing with 6 mallets, 3 in each hand. His four sons joined the group in 1977.

Zeferino Nandayapa has been a soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, and the Orquestra de la Comunidad Espanola in Madrid. The Marimba Nandayapa have appeared at Carnegie Hall. They have been awarded the UN Medal of Peace and received recognition from the Committee of European Excellence. The Marimba Nandayapa were also invited to play at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 1993 and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Japan. Marimba Nandayapa performs regularly in Mexico City and they have produced more than 70 CDs, of which some will be available at La Sierra University after the concert.

The Nandayapa shop, where they build marimbas, is located in Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas. Zeferino Nandayapa and his sons teach marimba at the National Conservatory in Mexico City and are regularly invited to teach master classes.

The La Sierra University Stahl Center was named for Ana and Fernando Stahl to honor the memory of Seventh-day Adventist missionaries and inspire and encourage mission out reach today. The sponsor bringing the Marimba Nandayapa for the event is Miguel Kelly.