School children attended a concert at Symphony Hall in Springfield.
Students from Springfield schools were treated to a concert by the Puerto Rican Symphony at Springfield Symphony Hall. Here, Lydia Perez entertains the audience.
SPRINGFIELD- There were barely any seats open in the large hall as close to 2,000 students from Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke and Westfield enjoyed a rehearsal Thursday by the Arturo Somohano Puerto Rican Philharmonic Orchestra .
"There is a lot of excitement but it is tempered by the great level of responsibility we feel to deliver a quality show," said Rafael E. Irizarry, conductor for the orchestra made up of nearly 75 Puerto Rican musicians.
The group arrived to Springfield yesterday evening and spent most of Thursday rehearsing for a performance that will be held Friday night at 7:30 p.m.
Heriberto Flores, president of New England Farmworkers Council which organized the event, said the rehearsal was a great success.
Both Irizarry and guest conductor Kevin Rhodes spoke with the audience of children ranging from elementary to high school aged.
"We wanted to give these kids an opportunity to be exposed to something wonderful," Flores said.
Victor Maldonado, executive director of the Arturo Somohano Foundation, said the philharmonic's mission is to showcase the cultural richness of music from Puerto Rico and other countries in Latin America.
"It's going to be a varied program featuring primarily Puerto Rican music, but also some wonderful pieces from Argentina, Spain and other countries," he said.
Irizarry said Rhodes will conduct Leonard Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story."
"As many people know West Side Story does not really feature Puerto Rican music and it could be very politically incorrect at the time, but now we are able to celebrate this work for what it is, a phenomenal piece of music," Irizzary said.
Puerto Rican tenor Cesar Hernandez and soprano Rosa Betancourt will perform as well.
Hernandez who has been singing for 25 years said he is excited about the performance.
"It will be the first time I perform with this orchestra although I have worked with many of the musicians in the past," he said. "It's a great honor to be here."
Maldonado said they are thrilled to be part of the event and have been received warmly. He said the philharmonic has performed in major cities across the US where there are large Puerto Rican populations.
Kiley Middle School teacher Rachel Ryan said the school's choir has 120 students and the band has 140 students. Many of those students attended the event.
"It's a wonderful opportunity for them to see real musicians on stage," she said.