Silvia Infantas

Infantas was born in Santiago in 1923. She was the daughter of tenor, Jorge Infantas, and grew up in the El Almendral neighborhood of Valparaíso.

She began her singing career in 1942, performing on various radio stations. She was chosen as the best "melodic singer" of 1943 by Radiomanía magazine. She eventually became noted for her performances of Chilean folk music and led the groups "Silvia Infantas y los Baqueanos" (1953-1959) and "Silvia Infantas y los Cóndores" (1960-1969).[1] In 1962, she participated in the third annual Viña del Mar International Song Festival; her performance of "El loro aguafiestas" (with backing from Los Cóndores) won first place in the competition.

Infantas was a central figure in Chilean folk music from 1942 to 1970. She made international tours of Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Panama with Los Baqueanos between 1953 and 1959 and with Los Cóndores between 1960 and 1969. She also toured West Germany and Spain with Los Cóndores.

In 1955, composer Vicente Bianchi presented his musical interpretation on Pablo Neruda's poems "Tonadas de Manuel Rodríguez", "Canto a Bernardo O'Higgins" and "Romance de los Carreras". These works were recorded and popularized by Infantas and Los Baqueanos. Their recording of Música para la Historia de Chile has been recognized as an outstanding contribution to the culture of Chile.

Infantas also developed a career as an actress at the Teatro de Ensayo de la Universidad Católica (TEUC) between 1946 and 1952. She acted in plays such as El gran farante, El tiempo y los Conway, Contigo en la soledad, El cid, El burlador de Sevilla, Invitación al castillo, Pygmalion, El senador más honorable, La pérgola de las flores, y La anunciación a María. For the latter, she won the Caupolicán Award for "best actress" in 1950.[1] She also acted in the 1968 film Ayúdeme usted compadre.[2]

In 2009 she was named "Figura Fundamental de la Música Chilena" by the "Sociedad Chilena del Derecho de Autor" (SCD).[3] In 2015, she was awarded the President of the Republic National Music Award in the category "Folk Music". She received the award from President Michelle Bachelet at age 92 in an official ceremony at the La Moneda Palace.[4]

In March 2019, in the context of the commemoration of the month of women, a biography titled "Silvia Infantas, voz y melodía de Chile" was published; it was written by music journalist, David Ponce.