Villalobos Brothers concert can bring our community together
Community members from the Wenatchee Valley and beyond are in for a rip roaring time Thursday night at 7:30 when the internationally famous Villalobos Brothers perform at the Numerica Performing Arts Center.
The Villalobos Brothers incorporate many different styles of music, from jazz to Mexican folk. After viewing part of a concert video available on the web, it’s clear they put on a high-energy show that everyone would enjoy.
Wenatchee School District’s own Mariachi Huenachi will be opening for the show and, according to director Ramon Rivera, some local students will also be helping out on a few songs during the concert.
The Villalobos Brothers are also sharing their skills and talents with several hundred students from throughout our region through the theater’s Every Kid at the PAC program, which is devoted to finding creative ways to bring top-caliber music to students in our region.
The concert Thursday night is another opportunity for us to come together and celebrate the rich diversity of people and cultures who make up North Central Washington.
Under the leadership of Matt Cadman, the PAC has been very intentional about reaching out to all aspects of the community so that the PAC will do an even better job bringing people together. I loved it when Cadman described the theater as “a community center with a stage,” and that’s exactly what he and the board have delivered.
The PAC developed an advisory council to help broaden the outreach of the theater’s offerings and find creative ways to bring the entire community together. This commitment to honoring and making welcome everyone in the community — from developmentally disabled, to physically handicapped and people different nationalities and sexual orientations — is something that celebrates our common bonds.
I want to live in a community that strives to honor, welcome and respect everyone who lives here.
Rivera, since he took over the helm of the Wenatchee School District’s mariachi program, has done a remarkable job of bringing that same sense of “belonging.”
The Mariachi program, which is deeply connected to the Mexican culture, is open to everyone. Some years ago, I witnessed a Pioneer Middle School rehearsal in which students with developmental delays fully participated.
The important aspect is creating opportunities to connect to other cultures and creating an environment of acceptance. Through programs like Every Kid at the PAC and Mariachi Huenachi, we’re moving our community forward in these ideals of accepting each other regardless of background.
As Rivera pointed out to me, there is a lot of division in our society today, but at the end of the day we don’t have to accept what’s on the national news as our reality. “We’re all human beings,” said Rivera. “We’re all Wenatchee and we’re just trying to make our community better.”
Getting the Villalobos Brothers to Wenatchee is a huge coup. I’m not quite sure how Cadman pulled off this concert.
The young brothers have played to sellout crowds at Carnegie Hall, the Latin Grammy Awards, the Montreal Jazz Festival and many others. “They’re going to blow the roof off of the PAC,” said Rivera.
