The North American Basque Organizations Bertsolari Saioa

Mar 9

On Saturday, March 9th, 2024, The North American Basque Organization hosted a full Bertsolari event, featuring the U.S. based Bertsolaris along with special guests from the Basque Country: Nerea Ibarzabal & Maddalen Arzallus & Xabi Paya. The event was sponsored by the San Francisco Basque Club, the San Francisco Basque Cultural Center, the Basque Educational Organization, the Basque Government and the Basque Cultural Institute.

This event is a result of N.A.B.O.’s newest program, Bertsolaritzari Arnasa Berritu Amerikan (Give New Breath to Bertsolaritza in America), whose main purposes are to organize a recurring international Bertsolari event, organize more shorter local Bertsolari events at picnics and festivals, and to teach Bertsolaritza through a local Bertso Eskola (Bertsolari School).

The bertsolaris gathered the day before the event with Nerea & Maddalen & Xabi arriving from the Basque Country, Martin Goicoechea coming from Wyoming, Todor Azurtza from Idaho. The local San Francisco Bertsolaris where Johnny Curutchet and N.A.B.O.’s Bertso Eskola student Oier Pastor. Also joining were Mikaela Goicoechea (subject giver - from Wyoming) and Nerea Ezeiza, who is also a N.A.B.O. Bertso Eskola student and came from New York. The group enjoyed a pre-event dinner at the Basque Cultural Center where they got a chance to get to know each other and then exchanged bertsos with elements and subjects that would carry over to the main event performance the next day. Nerea Ezeiza sang bertsos as well and held her own and was convinced to join the main performance the next day.

The main performance event started Saturday afternoon, with Mikaela Goicoechea introducing the seven bertsolaris, three of whom are products of N.A.B.O.’s Bertso Eskola, which started just two years before in 2022 (Todor, Oier, Nerea), an astonishing accomplishment, which exceeded everyone’s expectations. While the bertsolaris sang their improvised poetry, their content was translated into English and displayed on a screen next to the stage. The real time translation was done by Xabi Paya who relayed the English version of the bertsos to Valerie Arrechea who typed them in to be read by the audience. This created an interesting effect when reactions from the audience would be heard immediately and then heard again from the folks relying on the translations which had about a 5 to 10 second lag.

Towards the end of the performance a surprise birthday cake (Gateau Basque) was presented to Nerea Ibarzabal, whose was also celebrating her birthday on this day. Each bertsolari then sang special bertsos for Nerea.

After nearly two hours, the performance concluded with the bertsolaris singing bertsos of thanks and appreciation, which then lead to an evening dinner animated by Mercedes Mendive.

For more information on N.A.B.O.’s Bertsolaritzari Arnasa Berritu Amerikan program or on the Bertso Eskola, please email arnasberri@gmail.com.

The Bertsolaris from the Basque Country then spent the following week visiting other Basque communities. In Boise they sang bertsos at an outdoor Basque dance performance and then later at a dinner at Ansots. They then made their way to Chino where they sang bertsos at a dinner at the Centro Basco.

Below are photos and a video from the March 9th event. On egin!