UCF Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month With Second-Annual Latin American Festival
By Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala (zkotala@mail.ucf.edu)
The University of Central Florida kicks off the second-annual Latin American Cultural Festival of Orlando on Sept. 10 with a musical event that invokes Latin America's rich indigenous past.
La Rondalla de Orlando performs at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10. The group is comprised of 16 students of the Latin Music Institute of Orlando who play a variety of traditional Puerto Rican instruments. The musicians, ages 11 to 46, have represented the Hispanic Central Florida community throughout the United States and in Puerto Rico.
UCF's College of Arts and Humanities is coordinating the two-month series with the help of several community partners and sponsors, including Orange County and the Centro Cultural de Puerto Rico. The goal of the festival is to celebrate Hispanics' rich and diverse contributions to American society. Organizers hope to educate both Hispanic and non-Hispanics about those contributions.
This year's line up includes art exhibits, concerts and lectures at UCF and at other venues throughout the Orlando area.
The festival coincides with National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Congress approved the designation to recognize the contributions made by the growing population of Hispanics in America. The 30-day celebration straddles two months because it includes the independence days of several countries as well as other important dates such as Día de La Raza on Oct. 12.
"We're coordinating the festival to send a strong message that this institution values the contributions of Hispanics at UCF and in the community," said College of Arts and Humanities Dean Jose Fernandez. "It's important to recognize the rich and diverse contributions of the people of Latin America and U.S. Hispanics in all the manifestations of social life in America."
A variety of cultures are represented in this year's line up. The play Anna in the Tropics written by Cuban American Nilo Cruz takes place in a cigar factory in Ybor City in 1929. Cruz won a 2003 Pulitzer Prize for that play. The Cuarteto Latino Americano - a string quartet that was nominated for a Grammy in 2002 in the field of Best Chamber Music Recording - is an ensemble from Mexico. Argentinian, Brazilian and Puerto Rican cultures also are represented.
Sponsors include UCF; the La Prensa; United Arts of Central Florida; WKMG-TV, Channel 6; Galleria Portofino at Portofino Bay Hotel; Payas, Payas and Payas Attorneys at Law; Darden Restaurants; and the Enzian Theater.
Visit the Latin American Cultural Festival of Orlando website for a complete schedule.
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