Concert, Art Exhibit to Open First Latin American Cultural Festival on Sept. 16
by Chad Binette (cbinette@mail.ucf.edu)

ORLANDO, Sept. 13, 2005 -- The first Latin American Cultural Festival of Orlando, a celebration of the heritage of Hispanic residents in Central Florida, will feature concerts by University of Central Florida professors and other musicians, art exhibitions, plays and films.

UCF's Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies program is coordinating the two-month series with help from many community partners, including Orange County and Orlando city governments. Events will be held at UCF, Orlando City Hall, the Orange County Regional History Center, Valencia Community College and several other venues.

"The festival represents Latin America's cultural diversity by featuring artists from many different countries, including Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia and Puerto Rico," said Luis Martínez-Ferníndez, director of the Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies program. "While the popular arts and crafts of Latin America are generally well-known, this festival gives the community a chance to enjoy and learn more about the fine arts from many countries."

The festival begins Friday, Sept. 16, with a concert by flutist Nora Lee García and guitarist Eladio Scharrón, both UCF music professors, and an exhibition of paintings by Puerto Rican artists affiliated with Centro de Cultura Puertorriqueña de la Florida. The opening event, which is free and open to the public, will be from 6:30 to 9 at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management auditorium on Universal Boulevard. A reception will begin at 6:30 p.m., and the program will follow at 7:30 p.m.

The second main event of the series features a Cuban art exhibit and lecture by Ramón Cernuda, director and founder of Cernuda Arte in Coral Gables, and a performance of Argentinean music and dance by musicians Duo Sur and dancers Mariel and Richard from World Wide Tango, an Argentinean tango school. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be at 5 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Orlando City Hall rotunda.

The Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies program strives to help students and residents better understand the cultures and histories of Latin American countries. The university is offering a History of Puerto Rico course this semester for the first time and also is coordinating three community events featuring lectures and artistic presentations about Puerto Rico.

The festival's major sponsors are Darden Restaurants, the Payas, Payas and Payas law firm, United Arts of Central Florida, El Nuevo Día and WKMG-Channel 6.

UCF's partners in the festival include Asociación Borinqueña, Centro de Cultura Puertorriqueña de la Florida, Cernuda Arte, the Downtown Media Arts Center, Enzian Theater, Orange County Regional History Center, Orlando Repertory Theater, Raquel Tacón Flamenco Company, United Arts of Central Florida and Valencia Community College.

A full schedule of events is listed below and will be posted at www.cas.ucf.edu/lacls.

DATE POSTED
September 13, 2005

CONTACT
Luis Martínez-Fernández
407-823-1169
martfern@mail.ucf.edu

Carey Morales
407-823-1173
cmorales@mail.ucf.edu

DOWNLOADS
(none)

LINKS
UCF Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies Program