For Father Bernardo Cruz, originally from Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico, community is an essential component to our faith and quality of life. He has been the Pastor of The St. Hedwig and St. Francis D’ Assisi parishes for ten years and is always looking for opportunities to bring diversity into the community. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) also understands the importance of establishing impactful relationships with its surrounding communities. Beginning in the spring of 2021 the DSO’s Detroit Neighborhood Initiative has made it a priority to partner with churches, community members and organizations to co-create spaces in Southwest Detroit, Chandler Park, Dexter-Linwood and Northwest Detroit that offer neighborhood enrichment through musical performances and interactions.
On Wednesday February 12, St. Hedwig church in Southwest Detroit, opened its doors to welcome music lovers of all ages for a free concert. The volunteers greeted guests with programs containing the details of the upcoming performance and young attendees were encouraged to take colorful scarfs to move along to the music as they’d see fit. There were tables along the back of the church with flyers and pamphlets for other DSO events along with some coloring pages with thought provoking prompts that encouraged young music lovers to draw what they felt or visualized as they heard the music. Attendees were provided hot chocolate, tea, coffee and cookies by Alliance Catholic Credit Union during the event.
The night’s performance was led by Conductor Enrico Lopez-Yanez who serves as the Principal Conductor of the Dallas Symphony and Principal Pops Conductor of Detroit, Nashville and Pacific Symphonies. Committed to its mission of making music accessible to all, the concert began with the music selections and performances by students from the Sphinx Overture program which is led by Overture Camp Director, Pia Bucco, including local students from Ceasar Chavez, Holy Trinty, Maybury Elementary and other Detroit Public Schools Community District schools. It was refreshing to see children passionate about and dedicated to something other than their devices and social media with concentration and delight on their faces as they played. It gave me hope that the arts will always have importance in bringing people together from all walks of life.
The church was filled with the sounds of various classical numbers including Romeo and Juliet, Molly on The Shore, Overture to Orpheus in The Underworld, El Dia Que Me Quieras, Poppuri De Huapangos for Chamber Orchestra, Bordadoras and Huapango. Having been to several of these DSO community concerts I always appreciate how Conductor Lopez-Yanez beautifully narrates the selections and ties in bits of history along with pop and modern-day cultures. He makes the compositions feel so relatable and comprehensible almost as if to reassure everyone listening that the classical genre is palpable and enjoyable no matter what your usual musical preference tends to be. As the orchestra played, coordinators and volunteers encouraged audience members to dance along to the music. I was delighted to see several people break the usual church etiquette while joyously dancing in the isles and pretending to conduct their own orchestras in the pews.
To demonstrate the areas cultural diversity the musical numbers were intricately weaved with several performances from the local Ballet Folklorico Moyocoyani Izel dance troupe. The group whose name is in Nahuatl, one of Mexico’s native languages BFMI was founded by Jaime and Maria Luisa Carrillo. Their mixed age group of dancers graced the isles in authentic costumes consisting of dresses beautifully adorned with colorful ribbons and traditional Mexican clothes, scarves and hair pieces and hats. BFMI is the only Mexican Folkorico dance group in the region that owns their own dance studio. There the volunteer instructors make it their mission to not only instruct the students how to dance but also educate them on the history of the dances, the regions and the reasons why things are and aren’t done. To keep learning and teaching about the different states and regions of regions of Mexico the instructors go to dance conferences or bring in dance instructors.
On the way out of the concert, attendees were asked to fill out an audience feedback survey and young fans were encouraged to take pictures with the conductor and musicians. Program directors were informing potential future musicians how to take part in their outreach program to receive instruments and lessons free of charge. Once again demonstrating our Detroit symphony’s commitment to embracing the community.
Jacqueline Cuevas, a proud native of Southwest Detroit, graduate of Western International. Her late diagnosis of a seizure disorder and the cultural stigmas surrounding disabilities inspired her to become a dedicated self-advocate. Jacqueline works tirelessly to raise awareness and promote having difficult and honest conversations about the realities that come with being disabled , fostering greater understanding and acceptance in her local community and on a national level.
This story was made possible by the Race and Justice Reporting Initiative, which aims to build trust between the news media and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities and strengthen representative democracy. Funding for the initiative has been provided by a generous grant from Press Forward.
