ABOUT THE IOHIO

HOW THE IOHIO WAS FOUNDED

The Instituto de Órganos Históricos de Oaxaca (IOHIO, pronounced YOYO) was established in the year 2000 by Cicely Winter and Edward Pepe in order to make sure the restored organ were played on a regular basis, both to produce the music for which they were intended and to prevent their deterioration from lack of attention and use. Hundreds of listeners attended the first concerts, attesting to the eagerness of the local community to hear the organs again, and this enthusiasm has never abated. It soon became clear, however, that the project would have to include the protection of the unrestored organs as well, since non-functioning organs continued to be at risk of destruction, especially if there was no longer any memory in the community of their sound or use nor awareness of their historic value. Therefore, field trips to document these organs and conservation projects have became additional priorities, and the focus of the IOHIO has become as much anthropological and documentary as musical.

The IOHIO is an official non-profit organization (Asociación Civil) which functions in coordination with the National Institute of Anthropology and History (el Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia or INAH) and the Fundación Alfredo Harp Helú, other cultural institutions in Mexico, officials of the towns with organs, ecclesiastical authorities, directors of the archives in Oaxaca, and organists, musicians, and scholars in Mexico and abroad. In addition, we are fortunate to be able to count on the support of a Board of Advisors comprised of world experts in historic organs and related fields. The collaboration with the INAH is especially important, since it is this organization in Mexico which oversees and protects the national patrimony. All of our projects or organ-related activities are authorized by the director of the Centro INAH Oaxaca, Archeologist Enrique Fernández Dávila, with a letter of support directed to the appropriate authorities. In this way, the IOHIO´s projects are protected by the INAH and the INAH is kept informed of organ activities carried out by the IOHIO.

COLLABORATORS IN THE IOHIO

Cicely Guenther Winter grew up in the state of Michigan, USA, but has spent most of her life in Oaxaca. She studied piano and harpsichord at Smith College (Massachusetts) and the University of Michigan, where she obtained a B.A. in Music and an M.A. in European History. She later studied piano performance at the post-graduate level in the School of Music at Indiana University. Since 1972, Cicely has lived in Oaxaca with her husband, archeologist Marcus Winter, and together they have raised four children, all born in Oaxaca.
        Cicely Winter has been involved in community service projects in Oaxaca for many years. In 1976, she founded the Oaxaca chapter of the AFS Intercultural Exchange Program and directed the project from 1976 to 1982. A pianist, harpsichordist, and organist, she has presented numerous concerts in Oaxaca, both as soloist and as a member of chamber ensembles. She has given benefit concerts in support of community service organizations in Oaxaca such as the AFS Intercultural Exchange of Mexico, la Casa de la Mujer (Women's Center) "Rosario Castellanos", the Common Front Against AIDS, the Oaxacan Center for Aural and Oral Language Rehabilitation (CORAL) and the Oaxacan Historic Organ Institute.
        In 2000, Cicely co-founded the Oaxacan Historic Organ Institute (IOHIO) and since then has served as its director. The IOHIO is an official non-profit organization (Asociación Civil) whose mission is to protect and promote the sixty-eight historic organs that have been found to date in the state of Oaxaca. She also directs the IOHIO Music Academy, the educational project of the Institute, which offers piano and organ classes to children, youth, and adults in Oaxaca.

Ricardo Rodys was born in Warsaw, Poland, and studied in the Organ Institute of Warsaw. He was the titular organist in the Mother of God Helper of the Faithful Church in Warsaw for twelve years (1987-1999) and was frequently invited to play in other churches in the city. He was the founder and also a participant in the choir "Signum" in his parish, which presented numerous concerts. Since 2003 he has been a resident of Oaxaca and for the past year has collaborated with the Instituto de Órganos Históricos de Oaxaca as organist, organ teacher, and archive researcher. He also teaches organ, music theory, and Gregorian chant in the Seminary of the Santa Cruz and is forming choirs in some of the boys' and girls' orphanages in Oaxaca. Since 2005 he plays organ and gives organ classes in the Cathedral of Oaxaca and the Bascilica de la Soledad. Since 2006 he has participated in the musical project MUSICAT (Network of databses about Music and Musicians in the Cathedrals of Mexico).

BOARD OF ADVISORS