Thanks to a partnership between UC Merced’s School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts (SSHA) and the Multicultural Arts Center (MAC), the esteemed wind quintet and overall advocacy organization “Quinteto Latino” will be performing free to the public at the MAC’s Black Box Theatre on Wednesday, Nov. 8, starting at 7 p.m.
Make sure and mark your calendars to enjoy a showcase of beautiful Latino music. Additionally, following the performance, there will be a talk-back discussion with the musicians for curious and passionate fans.
Quinteto Latino is more than a musical group. Members and supporters make up an entire “advocacy organization” with an array of positions working to cultivate and spread Latino art, as well as expand the Latino Arts community.
Quinteto Latino has collaborated with numerous composers from across the country — all of whom are proud Latinos who show off their culture in astoundingly creative ways. The group’s founder, Armando Castellano, explains:
“In the wind quintet and overall classical music field, the composers who are predominantly performed come from euro-centric or just European heritage. So, what is unique about this classical music organization is that we only play music by composers who are Latino-identifying. And, the reason that we are more than just a band, and are an advocacy organization, is that we use the work of these Latino composers as a method to shine a light on the inequities in the classical music community, and work to do something about it. We want to present an alternative that is very accessible to everyone. Something that everyone can attend and know what is going on without any prerequisite knowledge.”
The talented performers of Quinteto Latino include: Diane Grubbe, flute; Kyle Bruckmann, oboe; Leslie Tagorda, clarinet; Armando Castellano, French horn; and Jamael Smith, bassoon.
The Black Box Theatre is located on the first floor of the MAC at 645 W. Main St. For more information, please contact Kim McMillon at [email protected].