What a slight!

ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

A MESSAGE TO ALL THOSE FRIENDS OF MINE WHO RESPECT MY CULTURAL AND ETHNIC ROOTS. I INVITE YOUR COMMENTS.

A WEEK AGO… among the usual junk mail, I spotted a mailer announcing the Multicultural Awareness Council (MAC) concert series of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra that purports to “Celebrate the rich African-American and Latine (sic) culture, history and heritage of outstanding artists and composers with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops.”Among the nine concerts listed – both CSO and Cincinnati Pops – there is one featuring the Disney cartoon COCO, apparently a token homage to Hispanic musical art and artists.

The remaining eight concerts all feature a long overdue lineup of pop and classical African-American musical artists in performances of a few American composers of color mixed in with the works of Caucasian musical artists.

Some of this is happening as the September 15-October 15 National Hispanic Heritage Month comes and goes, and among the nine announced concerts only one – a Disney cartoon musical – honoring our Hispanic Heritage?

A couple of days after receiving the announcement from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra I reached out to Julia Kirchhausen, Interim VP of Communications for the orchestra. Approximately a week has gone by and, to date, no response.

You can reach her at jkirchhausen@cincinnatisymphony.org if you wish.

Here’s a short list of Hispanic artists – some established, some up and coming – that could be featured in pops or classical concerts as part of Hispanic Heritage Month and beyond:

HISPANIC/LATINO BROADWAY AND POP TALENT: Javier Muñoz; Josh Segarra; Robin De Jesús; Krysta Rodriguez; Ricky Martin; Julieta Venegas; Juanes; Willie Colón; Jenny Rivera; Carlos Santana; Ana Villafañe; Giselle Alvarez

HISPANIC/LATINO CLASSICAL TALENT: Sonia Marie De León de Vega, conductor; Alondra de la Parra, conductor; Ileana Pérez Velázquez, composer; Yalil Guerra, composer; Elizabeth Caballero, soprano; Odaline de la Martinez, conductor; Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor; Gustavo Dudamel, conductor; Sandra Lopez de Haro, soprano

Rafael de Acha ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

Published by ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

Rafael de Acha has enjoyed a distinguished career in the arts as a performer, stage director, producer, and educator. He was born and grew up in Cuba. At the age of 17 he moved to the United States to study Drama at the University of Minnesota, and later Languages at L.A. City College, Music at the Juilliard School of Music, at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music, and at the New England Conservatory of Music, from which he received the Master's degree. He has taught courses on the History of Music at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and at Florida International University, and contributed writings and reviews to Seen and Heard International (www.seenandheard-international.com ) and to this blog. He co-founded the award-winning New Theatre in Coral Gables, Florida, where he produced and staged twenty seasons of classical and contemporary theater, including fifty world premieres of plays that went on to have international and national productions on and off Broadway, including Ana in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz (Pulitzer Prize for Drama 2002 and Tony Nomination 2003.) In 2006 he was presented with a citation from The Dade County Cultural Affairs Council for “trailblazing contributions to the arts in South Florida.”