On the cold evening of 23 May 2026, the atmosphere outside the Gran Teatro del Banco Central del Paraguay carried a quiet excitement. Elegant coats, polished shoes, and carefully chosen outfits filled the entrance halls. Audiences gathered to witness one of Paraguay’s most celebrated musicians return home: the guitarist Berta Rojas. The night marked the culmination of The Journey of Strings, her latest ambitious project.
Over the past years, the Paraguayan guitarist travelled across more than ten countries, collaborating with musicians from throughout Latin America in a project that explored the continent’s shared musical identity. In Asunción, however, the journey became deeply personal.
“Embrace Paraguayan strings”
For this new chapter, titled The Journey of Strings: Destination Paraguay, Rojas invited audiences to “embrace Paraguayan strings” through a concert built around friendship, memory, and national identity. Sharing the stage with artists who shaped her life and younger musicians she deeply admires, Rojas transformed the evening into more than a performance. It became a celebration of Paraguayan music itself. The concert featured renowned Paraguayan musicians including Juan Cancio Barreto, Dani Meza, Daisy Lombardo, Sixto Corbalán, the Cuarteto Paraqvaria, Mbaraka Trío and the Pu Rory Ensemble.
A night built on stories and strings
The evening opened with the Cuarteto Paraqvaria, whose performance explored the history of Jesuit evangelisation through music. Their presentation set the tone for the night: reflective, historical, and deeply rooted in Paraguayan identity.
“For Berta, arriving in her beloved Paraguay to reunite and dialogue with the great musicians of her homeland is deeply meaningful,” director Spatocco shared during a previous press conference. “This concert celebrates the rich legacy expressed through our music, while also allowing her to reconnect with the audience of her home, something that is closest to every artist’s heart.”
Between performances, Sebastián Henríquez and the musicians shared anecdotes about the construction of the album and the lessons learned throughout the creative process. Rather than feeling formal or distant, the concert moved naturally between conversation, memory, and music. The atmosphere shifted again when Sixto Corbalán entered the stage. Embracing his harp while captivating the audience with performances that highlighted the emotional depth of Paraguayan folk traditions.
Later, the members of Mbaraka Trío revealed that they had arrived in Paraguay at 02:00 after performing a tribute concert to Agustín Pío Barrios, also known as Mangoré, in San Salvador. The audience responded warmly as the musicians honoured another Latin American icon, Juan Luis Guerra, by performing “Bachata Rosa” alongside Rojas. The moment also carried symbolic significance, as Guerra graduated from Berklee College of Music, where the guitarist Berta Rojas currently serves as Associate Professor.
Friendship at the centre of the performance
One of the most emotional moments of the night arrived with the appearance of renowned requinto player Juan Cancio Barreto. Although each guest generally performed approximately two songs with Rojas, the segment with Barreto extended far beyond that. The audience, visibly moved, responded with tears, applause, and laughter as years of friendship unfolded through stories and improvised jokes between the musicians. Rather than simply performing together, the musicians seemed to relive memories in front of the audience.
Singer Daisy Lombardo later entered the stage with a moving spoken and sung poem in Guaraní. Lombardo is known primarily for her poetic and emotional interpretation of tango, developed between Paraguay and Argentina. The mood shifted once more with the arrival of Dani Meza, vocalist of the Paraguayan band Tierra Adentro, recognised for blending Paraguayan folk music with contemporary sounds. Together with Rojas, Meza performed songs from Aguije, the 2020 album entirely sung in Guaraní that earned a Latin Grammy Award nomination and sought to promote Paraguayan language and culture internationally.
A final surprise for the audience
The final segment of the concert belonged to the Pu Rory Ensemble, an educational and artistic initiative created by Rojas to support young Paraguayan classical guitarists from across the country. “Pu Rory” translates from Guaraní as “joyful sound”. By the end of the performance, the audience rose for a standing ovation that lasted several minutes. Many believed the concert had ended once the lights dimmed and the musicians departed the stage.
Yet moments later, Rojas returned alone.
Without microphones and illuminated by a single light, she stepped down from the stage and performed once more directly among the audience. The quiet intimacy of the final piece created one last emotional moment in a night already overflowing with them. After the concert concluded, Rojas remained with attendees, signing albums and programmes, taking photographs, and speaking personally with audience members who approached her.
From Latin Grammy recognition to The Journey of the Strings
The multi-format work, The Journey of Strings, released in November 2025, has received international praise. Between them, a featured segment on National Public Radio in the United States and a five-star review from BBC Music Magazine in the United Kingdom.
Widely considered one of the world’s leading classical guitarists, Berta Rojas has brought Paraguayan and Latin American music to some of the most prestigious stages internationally. A four-time Latin Grammy nominee, she won the 2022 Latin Grammy Awards for Best Classical Music Album with Legado. The project also received another award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for Anido’s Portrait, written by Sergio Assad.
In 2023, Rojas joined the Board of Directors of the Latin Recording Academy, reinforcing her influence in promoting Latin American culture globally. Today, from her position at Berklee College of Music to concert halls around the world, Berta Rojas continues carrying Paraguay’s musical identity far beyond its borders. On Saturday night in Asunción, however, she brought that journey home.
