Among all the programs in Milwaukee connecting children with the arts, there is perhaps no more remarkable a group than the Latino Arts Strings Program. Based at Latino Arts on Milwaukee’s near south side, the program produces remarkable string players who might not otherwise have access to instruments or high-level music instruction.
Classical guitar is a key component of the strings program’s work, and each year it holds a festival with a competition, concerts, and master classes. The Fourth Annual Guitar Festival features an evening concert by Rene Izquierdo and Isaac Bustos.
Students come from all over the region to participate in the competition, which is just for students ages 8-18. "I think that something like this for that age range, does not really exist in the Midwest, and so we saw a need for that and created that kind of a competition for young people,"says Dinorah Marquez, the director of the Latino Arts Strings Program.
Izquierdo and Isaac Bustos will play the evening concert as part of the Fourth Annual Guitar Festival put on by the Latino Arts Strings Program, Saturday, February 11.
