Ricardo Lorenz

Caminantes

Since 2015, approximately 1.9 million Venezuelans have fled their collapsing nation, with the most desparate escaping on foot as they cannot afford a bus or plane ticket. CAMINANTES, meaning 'hikers' or 'walkers' in Spanish, explores the different emotional stages undergone by any one of the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who decide to walk to the border between Venezuela and Colombia in the hope of finding a hospitable place that offers basic human rights and opportunities. This work was commissioned by the Wind Ensembles at Vanderbilt University, Thomas Verrier, Director, and 31 other co-commissioners with the assistance of the College Band Directors National Association.