On 3 February, Chilean accordionist and composer Joaquín Muñoz Donoso presented the world premiere of Cambalache en Santiago, a work for solo accordion and chamber orchestra. The performance took place in the main hall of the Teatro del Lago, a 1,200-seat venue in the lakeside city of Frutillar, as part of the prestigious Semanas Musicales de Frutillar—widely regarded as Chile’s most important classical music festival.

At the heart of the work lies a deeply personal transformation. Joaquín Muñoz Donoso reimagined an earlier arrangement created fifteen years ago by his father, Franklin Muñoz Jara. That original setting drew on the music of iconic Chilean folk singer Violeta Parra and was scored for an intimate ensemble. The title itself carries layered meaning: Cambalache refers to an exchange or transformation, while Santiago marks the symbolic place where this musical change occured.

Joaquín Muñoz Donoso founded and directs the Festival Internacional del Acordeón (FIA), an itinerant national celebration that brings concerts, masterclasses, workshops, and public events to multiple regions of Chile each year, aiming to make the accordion central to both popular and academic musical life.

As a cultural leader, Muñoz Donoso also spearheads educational initiatives through the Fundación Entre Fuelles, helping promote accordion study, new repertoire creation, and community engagement with the instrument.