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In September the municipality of Socorro, located about 120 kilometers south of Bucaramanga, pays tribute to its illustrious son José A. Morales, renowned composer and musician of the mid-20th century, with the National Unpublished Song Contest (Concurso Nacional de la Canción Inédita Jose A. Morales).
The event brings together composers from all over the country who come to the event to show their original works before a specialized jury.
The contest has two modalities: Traditional, in which only works with accompaniment of instruments native to the Colombian Andean region such as bandola, tiple and requinto are admitted, and New Expressions, which admits the accompaniment of wind instruments, electronic instruments, keyboards or bowed string instruments, all this without losing the essence of Andean music.
During the competition, innovative pieces of "bambuco", "guabina", "san juanero", waltz, bolero and "pasillo" are performed that enrich the national repertoire.
The José A. Morales National Unpublished Song Contest (Concurso Nacional de la Canción Inédita Jose A. Morales) has become an emblematic event for Socorro, attracting tourists and music lovers, and strengthening the musical legacy of this talented composer from Santander.
