In collaboration with Daniel Rojas’s ArpaCafe
Western Illinois Museum
Macomb, Illinois

The Western Illinois Museum and Casa Latina Cultural Center at WIU celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with music and dance. On Friday, September 29th special guests Daniel Rojas and Claire Happel Ashe (as part of an IACA Master Artist Apprentice Award) will perform with the members of EnsAmble Ad Hoc on the Museum’s indoor Our Front Porch. At 6:00 pm the doors and bar open followed by two sets of music at 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm. Dance lessons will be available in between the sets of music. There is a suggested $5 donation at the door.

The celebration brings together local and international musicians for an immersive evening to learn about Hispanic culture by experiencing it.  Live music starts at 7:00 pm when the Museum welcomes back harpists Daniel Rojas from Arpa Café and Macomb-based Claire Happel Ashe. They will be joined by EnsAmble Ad-Hoc which features vocalist Francy Acosta and José Luis Posada on the cuatro. The performance features music from regions in Central and South America including Joropo music from the border region between Venezuela and Colombia, Son Jarocho music from Mexico’s state of Veracruz, and the traditional music of Paraguay. The group will also offer cultural insights into these genres.  At 8:00 pm, the group will be joined by Raul Fernandez, jarana/hand drums, and Luis Correa, bass for music that is traditionally played at celebrations and parties and will no doubt make guests want to dance. In between the two sets of music, guests will have an opportunity to take a dance lesson to learn the Zapateado Jarocho dance.