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Buffalo Philharmonic celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with church performances, Mambo Kings concert

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Mon, Sep 25th 2017 12:30 pm
It's Hispanic Heritage Month and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is celebrating.
BPO violist Janz Castelo is leading a string quartet composed of himself, BPO violinists Andrea Blanchard-Cone and Amy Licata, and cellist Eva Herer in performances at several churches that serve the Hispanic community.
Castelo is the artistic director of the Buffalo Chamber Players, is active in the Puerto Rican community, and speaks fluent Spanish. He selected the music to be performed, and will speak on behalf of the BPO at each visit. Casimiro Rodriguez Sr. of the Hispanic Heritage Council of Western New York and the BPO Diversity Council will introduce the quartet to each congregation.
On Sept. 24, the quartet performs during the Spanish-language masses at 10:15 a.m. at Holy Angels, 348 Porter Ave., and at 12:15 p.m. at Holy Cross, 345 Seventh St. On Oct. 15, the final day of Hispanic Heritage Month, the quartet will perform at 10:15 a.m. at Destiny International Church, 172 15th St., and at 11:30 a.m. at Primera Iglesia Metodista at 62 Virginia St.
On Oct. 14, the BPO is performing with the Rochester-based Mambo Kings at Kleinhans Music Hall. The BPO diversity council has arranged performances of Hispanic dance music by Hutchinson Tech's Tech Tones and Olmsted High's Jazz F.L.O. at 7 p.m. in the Mary Seaton Room. The Mambo Kings take the main stage with the BPO at 8 p.m.
Bradley Thachuk conducts this tour of Latin jazz, featuring music by everyone from Astor Piazzolla to The Beatles, from Dave Brubeck to Tito Puente. The Mambo Kings have been together since 1995 and have earned a reputation as one of America's top Latin jazz ensembles, performing with The Florida Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Dallas Symphony and Oregon Symphony.
The concert is part of the KeyBank Pops Series.
The Hispanic Heritage Month celebration was spearheaded by the BPO diversity council, which formed in July 2016 to assist the orchestra in realizing its longstanding goals of presenting diverse programming, supporting artists of color, and engaging with every part of the Western New York community in a meaningful way.
The council will help the orchestra work toward the goals of featuring artists of color (soloists, conductors, composers) in concerts; creating programs tied to community events and history that are relevant to diverse audiences; establishing collaborative partnerships with diverse organizations; supporting music education in under-served areas and encouraging broad participation in music programs; and seeking diversity at all levels of the organization, including the board of trustees, staff, volunteers and the orchestra itself.
Tickets to The Mambo Kings range from $29 to $84, with student tickets available for $11 with ID. Purchase tickets by visiting bpo.org, by calling 716-885-5000, or by stopping at the Kleinhans box office at 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo. Tickets include the pre-concert performances by Hutchinson Tech and Olmsted High School.
For more information about the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, visit www.bpo.org.

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