The Hispanic Music Festival is hosted by the Pittsburg State University Music Department in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. It was organized for the first time last year by Isaac Hernandez and Frida Herrera.
According to Hernandez, they wanted to increase the number of off-campus events this year to get the community more involved. He said the food truck and vendors who sold refreshments and showcased art helped promote community engagement.
“We don't want two different communities going along without immersion,” Hernandez said. “And I think this festival in particular gives the opportunity to create immersion.”
The event was highlighted by performances from a local children’s dance group and the area High School Hispanic Banda. The ensemble consists of students from Pittsburg, Frontenac and Chanute. It features woodwind, brass and percussion sections.
Cooper Neil, the band teacher at Pittsburg High School, directs the group. He worked with Hernandez to create it this year, after Hernandez started the Pittsburg Hispanic Banda last year and wanted to offer something similar for high school students.
“It's such a special and unique thing to be able to experience different cultures through the lens of music, and especially performing that music and getting to experience it firsthand,” Neil said.
The performance was put together after just one rehearsal. They played a selection of traditional banda music, which originates from central and southern Mexico, but also incorporated music like Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes off You.”
“Kind of like the marching band or like the wind ensemble, (banda) can take a lot of different styles or genres of music and translate it into that particular ensemble,” Neil said.
Like Hernandez, Neil also thought the event was able to bring people together.
“It's just really nice to see events like this happening,” he said. “Especially in this climate of division across the country, it's nice to see, like, communities coming together and demonstrating that we're stronger together.”
With over half of the events now done, Hernandez said the festival has gone smoothly. In order to have more off-campus events, they expanded on their collaborations from last year to include more community organizations.
“Our partnerships have been amazing,” Hernandez said. “We had one with the Memorial Auditorium and their crew and manager. It was just incredible working with them, and then this weekend we have this partnership with the City of Pittsburg.”
The festival will end with a concert by the Southeast Kansas Symphony, who performed music from Latin American countries at the annual Children’s Concert earlier this month.
“Something I actually enjoyed the most was when all the kids recognized some songs,” Hernandez said. “But seeing the Hispanic kids actually feeling represented on the stage, that was priceless.”
The next event will be the Hispanic Recital performed by PSU Music Department students and faculty members. It starts at 7:30 p.m. on October 1 in McCray Hall.
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