Sinfocine Brings 100 Years of Ecuadorian Film Music to Quito
Music: Quito
Key Facts
—Event. Sinfocine is the first symphonic concert dedicated entirely to the soundtracks of Ecuadorian cinema.
—Date. Friday, August 7, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., plus a second show on Saturday, August 8, at the Teatro Nacional Sucre in Quito.
—On stage. Around 90 artists, led by the Banda Sinfónica Metropolitana de Quito and the Coro Mixto Ciudad de Quito.
—Occasion. The concert marks 100 years of cinema in Ecuador.
—Tickets. US$10, US$15 and US$17.50, depending on the seat.
Sinfocine Quito marks 100 years of Ecuadorian cinema on August 7, 2026, with some 90 musicians playing the country’s film music live at the Teatro Nacional Sucre.
What Is Sinfocine Quito?
Concerts of famous movie soundtracks are common around the world. Sinfocine does something new for Ecuador: it plays only music written for Ecuadorian films.
The show was created to mark 100 years of cinema in the country. It is the first symphonic concert of its kind in Ecuador.
Film music does quiet work: it tells you what to feel before the actors speak. Giving it a full symphonic night is a way of saying it mattered.
The name plays on “sinfónica” and “cine” — symphony and cinema. The melodies that once lived behind the screen step into the spotlight at last.
A Dream Decades in the Making
The project comes from filmmaker Rodrigo “Chicho” Cueva, who spent years documenting the music of Ecuadorian cinema. He first dreamed of this concert before the year 2000.
Back then the plan failed on practical grounds, because projecting film clips from 35-millimeter reels was too expensive. There was also simply not enough national repertoire yet.
Cueva recalls seeking support from institutions at the time, without luck. Everything changed when digital technology arrived and Ecuadorian film production grew.
He applied to a coproduction call from the Fundación Teatro Nacional Sucre, and winning it finally made the concert real. The theater’s own ensembles joined the project, which he describes as a dream come true.
What You Will Hear
The program covers many eras of national film, from classics like “Dos para el camino”, “La Tigra” and “Sensaciones” to the iconic “Ratas, ratones, rateros” and “Fuera de juego”. Newer titles include “El Rezador”, “Neisi”, “A tus espaldas”, “Dedicada a mi ex”, “Amor en tiempos de likes” and “Misfit”.
One beloved moment comes from “Ratas, ratones, rateros”, Sebastián Cordero’s 1999 debut. Twenty-seven years later, the song by Ecuadorian band El Retorno de Exxon Valdez returns, this time from a symphonic stage instead of a movie chase scene.
Scores by composers such as Juan Esteban Cordero, Paulina Aguirre, Felipe Terán, Sergio Sacoto and Annie Rosenfeld were specially adapted. Every theme was arranged for 64 instruments.
More names on the program include Gabino Torres, Ataúlfo Tobar, John Peter Vernaza, Víctor Herrera and Gianni Medina. Together they map decades of Ecuadorian film music.
Who Is on Stage
Musical director Jorge Oviedo conducts the Banda Sinfónica Metropolitana de Quito and the Coro Mixto Ciudad de Quito, plus invited musicians. In total, around 90 artists share the stage.
The sound mixes two pianos and electric guitar with quena and Andean winds. That blend mirrors Ecuador itself, where tradition and modern life sit side by side.
The lineup deliberately joins symphonic forces with popular and Andean instruments. It is the sound of Ecuador’s films, not of a European concert hall.
Oviedo sees the night as overdue recognition. Film musicians usually go unnoticed, he says, and this concert renews their legacy.
More Than a Concert
The evening includes the only symphonic work ever composed specifically for an Ecuadorian film. There are also pieces sung in Kichwa, the country’s most widely spoken indigenous language.
Live playing is paired with projections of scenes from the movies. An immersive audiovisual segment even uses images recorded at Ecuador’s Pedro Vicente Maldonado scientific station in Antarctica.
Music and image meet again on stage, just as they once did in the cinema. This time, the soundtrack gets the standing ovation.
Cueva puts it plainly: many of these themes were jewels at risk of being lost. Sinfocine is his way of putting them in a safe.
Tickets and Practical Info
Sinfocine premieres on Friday, August 7, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., with a second performance on Saturday, August 8, at 6:00 p.m. The venue is the Teatro Nacional Sucre, Quito’s historic main theater in the old town.
The early-evening start leaves time for dinner in the historic center afterwards. The old town around the theater is one of the prettiest parts of the city.
Tickets cost US$10, US$15 or US$17.50, depending on the seat. Ecuador uses the US dollar, so there is no exchange-rate math for foreign visitors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sinfocine Quito?
It is the first symphonic concert dedicated entirely to soundtracks from Ecuadorian cinema. Around 90 artists perform film music spanning 100 years of national film history.
The show was created by filmmaker Rodrigo “Chicho” Cueva together with the Fundación Teatro Nacional Sucre. It debuts as part of the theater’s coproduction program.
When and where does Sinfocine take place?
On Friday, August 7, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at the Teatro Nacional Sucre in Quito, with a second show on Saturday, August 8. Both performances start at 6:00 p.m.
The theater sits in Quito’s historic center, one of the city’s most beautiful areas. The early start leaves the rest of the evening free.
How much are tickets for Sinfocine?
Tickets cost US$10, US$15 or US$17.50, depending on the seat. Ecuador uses the US dollar as its currency, which makes budgeting easy for visitors.
For a premiere with 90 artists on stage, that is an accessible night out. Two nights only mean seats are limited.
Sources
Connected Coverage
Music, film and culture — Latin America explained for readers abroad.
Sources: Diario Expreso; Teatro Nacional Sucre; TuVoz.
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