Classics 4 Kids will produce an orchestra concert titled “Danza Cubana” this week to benefit more than 2,000 elementary students throughout San Diego County.
The program features conductor Dana Zimbric, the Classics Philharmonic Orchestra, special guest artist Juan Carlos Blanco from the Center for World Music and the Sabrosas Latin Orchestra.
The majority of the 2,394 students (67%) who will attend hail from low-income schools. Classics 4 Kids is covering all of the transportation costs for 21 school buses.
Classics 4 Kids is a nonprofit educational performing arts organization dedicated for more than 30 years to inspiring children through the experience of music. The organization reached over 40,000 students throughout the nation during the 2022-2023 school year.
This season, Classics 4 Kids has expanded its reach to include two performances at the Joan B. Kroc Theatre in Rolando Park, selected because it is within a 10-mile radius of 11 of the San Diego Unified School District’s most disadvantaged schools.
Those shows takes place Tuesday with two more to follow Friday at the downtown Balboa Theatre.
Students will hear music by classical composers Cervantes (Cuban), Marquez (Mexican) and Granada (Spanish) who all borrowed musical ideas from Afro-Cuban rhythms and dance. Spanish/English narration will deepen the students’ understanding of the art form’s rich cultural history.
“For our young audiences, seeing themselves reflected on the stage through our diverse guest artists opens their minds and fosters a sense of belonging,” Zimbric said. “It is my hope that by amplifying voices that are representative of our students, they will be inspired to express themselves creatively in ways they may not have previously imagined.”
Blanco, a teaching artist with Center for World Music, will showcase his talents as a master Cuban dancer and percussionist. He also serves as the artistic director of Omo Aché Cuban Cultural Arts, a San Diego-based organization dedicated to preserving and presenting Cuba’s rich cultural heritage of music and dance.
The Sabrosas Latin Orchestra is the first all-female salsa band in San Diego. Sabrosas seeks to encourage women to grow their talents in music.
The program is partially funded by California Arts Council, San Diego Foundation – Jay Kahn Endowment Fund, the Rice Family Foundation and the Max & Victoria Dreyfus Foundation.