Arturo Somohano Puerto Rican Philharmonic Orchestra to perform at Symphony Hall

Puerto Rican Philharmonic Orchestra will perform at Springfield Symphony Hall.

SPRINGFIELD - Symphony Hall will be filled with the sound of traditional Puerto Rican music with a classical twist when the Arturo Somohano Puerto Rican Philharmonic Orchestra performs on Friday.

"This will be the first time the philharmonic will perform in Springfield," said Heriberto Flores president of the Farmworker's Council which organized the event.

Maestro Rafael Enriquez Irizarry III will lead the orchestra which will present classical numbers with a traditional Puerto Ruican sound. Springfield Symphony Orchestra music director Kevin Rhodes will be a guest conductor for the evening.

"This will give people a chance to see some of the talent that comes out of Puerto Rico," Flores said. "Sometimes it's just the negative things that get highlighted."

The day before the performance the philharmonic will hold a practice session for hundreds of students in Western Massachusetts.

"We are giving students from area schools an opportunity to come to the rehearsal and experience something new and different about Puerto Rican culture," he said. "We hope this will inspire them."

Efrain Lopez, a sophomore at Springfield Technical Community College, will attend the rehearsal concert. He has been playing the piano since he was 15 when he saw the film "The Pianist."

"I knew I wanted to play like him," Lopez said. "This will be my first time seeing a classical music concert."

Lopez is one of 30 students involved in Project Coach, an after shcool sports program geared towards students living in the North End neighborhood of Springfield, said director Kayleigh Colombero.

Central High School students Xavier Rosario, 15, a piano player and Joanuel Claudio, 17, a xylophone player and drummer, will also attend the event.

"I feel like music is a good way to invest your time and a way to express yourself," Claudio said. This will be his first time at the symphony.

Rosario has seen the Springfield Symphony Orchestra before but as a young Puerto Rican man he is looking forward to seeing Puerto Rican musicians on stage, he said.

Considered a national treasure of Puerto Rico, the philharmonic orchestra will have more than 60 musicians on hand in addition to the guest singers, Grammy nominated Puerto Rican tenor Rafael Davila and soprano Rosa Betancourt

Tina M. D’Agostino, president of Springfield Performing Arts Development Corp., the nonprofit arts organization that manages CityStage and Symphony Hall said she is thrilled that Flores selected Symphony Hall as the venue for the performance.

"We are so excited to have them here," she said. "I think the educational component of this is also great."

The performance is part of DiverseCity a series of events promoting the rich culture in the city of Springfield. It is presented by The New England Farm Workers’ Council along with the North End Educational Development Fund, The Student Prince & Fort Restaurant and the Puerto Rican/Latino Leadership Council. More than 30 local businesses are also supporting the event.