Trío Oriental, a Name Woven Into Bolivia’s Musical History

After nearly six decades on stage, Wálter Áñez still describes Trío Oriental as his life. The group’s journey began with early recordings and grew into tours across South America, North America, Europe and Asia.

Áñez founded the trio with Lorgio Dorado and Hugo Daza. Over the course of its career, Trío Oriental has recorded 99 albums. The group never reached a 100th record because albums gradually stopped being produced, but Áñez says they still hope to complete that number.

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For me, it is my life.

Among the trio’s biggest successes is “Sombrero de saó,” which Áñez identifies as its best-selling album. The song and the group’s broader repertoire helped bring eastern Bolivian music to audiences in many countries.

For Áñez, that music is also a family inheritance. His mother sang and played guitar, teaching him and his four brothers to do the same. He says the group’s mission is to keep Bolivian eastern culture and identity alive, even as foreign music becomes more dominant, particularly among young people.

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It means keeping our culture and our identity alive.

The trio spent 23 years in the United States and also performed in Europe and Japan, where it spent four years. Áñez recalls the emotion of meeting Bolivians who had lived abroad for 20 or 30 years without returning home. Some cried with emotion and happiness when the group’s songs brought them closer to Bolivia again.

Audiences overseas ask for a range of Bolivian styles, including cuecas and saya. Trío Oriental tries to satisfy those requests while continuing to carry the music of its region to new generations.

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Many people had gone 20 or 30 years without returning to Bolivia and, when they heard us sing, they remembered their homeland.