Nidia Góngora

Nidia Góngora © Archivo personal

The most widely recognized young singer from the Colombian Pacific (1980). She has a degree in early childhood education, and is also a singer and researcher in traditional music from the South Pacific. Throughout her more than 15 years of experience as a composer and interpreter, she has managed to build bridges between traditional music from her native Timbiquí, Cauca, and other genres. Together with her band Canalón, she was declared out of competition at the Petronio Álvarez Festival. Góngora and her band have won this contest on numerous occasions, garnering accolades for best vocal performance, best vocal arrangement, and best marimba group. This singer has also collaborated with groups such as AleKuma, Bahia, Herencia de Timbiquí, Ondatrópica, The Bongo Hop, and Quantic. Her versatility has enabled her to position herself as a reference point between traditional musician communities while gaining recognition in scenarios in Europe, Asia, and the United States. For ten years, Góngora has been working on musical training with children in rural and urban areas in Cauca and Valle del Cauca through the Escuela Canalón Foundation.