Pauline Barrón: “The classics will never go out of style”

Product of the COVID-19 pandemic, Philharmonic Radio, unique and important cultural space that transmits content related to classical music and other artistic expressions of Peru and the world, suffered a significant reduction in sponsorship. Of 14 sponsors, he was left with only four, creating a risk in his permanence. In order to prevent their broadcasts from going extinct, the campaign called Don’t let the signal go out has been launched.

“Our more than 100,000 followers that we have on Facebook express their concern. They tell us that Filarmonía cannot disappear because it accompanies them in their daily activities”, says Pauline Barrón Mifflin, executive director of Radio Filarmonía.

Philharmony is sustained by three large incomes: from the monthly contribution of his followers, from the events he performs, such as concerts, recitals or the lyrical singing contest; and the sale of its programming. Precisely, the latter is the one that has been hit the most.

Through “Don’t let the signal go out” It seeks to obtain the resources that allow the radio to maintain the operation, management, conservation, maintenance and dissemination of a unique cultural content. Donations can be made through Yape, Plin, Izipay and PayPal, in the foreign case.

musical heritage

Radio Filarmonía 102.7 FM was born as SolArmonía 88.9 FM Stereo in January 1983. Martha Mifflin was founder and director for 37 years. After the pandemic, her daughter, Pauline Barrón, took over the management.

“Radio is created by not having any space where classical music is heard. And it is achieved with a pro-classical music board and with the help of many people and public and private entities. The State gave us the signal and a physical space, located in the Ministry of Culture”, explains Pauline, who embraces music as part of her life and her family heritage.

“Since I was a child, I had to go to concerts. Listening to music was mandatory in my house, it was like brushing your teeth. I limited myself to being a user, but due to certain circumstances, I began to shake hands with my mother, and little by little I became involved. So, when she leaves, I stay in her place and seeing that radio listeners were dwindling and income was hitting all sides, we decided to make changes, take another attitude. We rethought the product and relaunched it. It was a bit of a bumpy transition. The mother-daughter relationship took a bit of a hit,” she comments.

“We decided to refresh the programming thinking of a niche, such as anime music, which has a huge number of people and products around it. To attract them here and discover that there is something called Philharmonic, at first by listening to anime and then probably entering other genres. We also reinforce the other genres”, adds Barrón.

He also comments that the Radio Filarmonía Lyrical Singing Contest has become more competitive, including contestants from all over Latin America.

“As the demand is greater, it will allow for better participants. And just as we have a Juan Diego Flores, we have an Iván Ayón Rivas, who was born in Piura and now lives in Milan and has a busy schedule until 2026, and he left our contest”.

For Barrón it is essential to make it clear that classical music is universal. “Most of the great musicians are from the interior of the country, they have grown up in an environment where there was music and they have developed a sensitivity and love for classical music. Hopefully one day it will be massive so that it reaches more people ”, he underlines.

The Don’t let the signal go out campaign is the perfect way to ensure that it does. Both for this and for future generations of enthusiastic listeners.