Philadelphia, PA – Esperanza Arts Center (EAC) announces its lineup for the 2023-2024 season. This year, EAC proudly shines a spotlight on the exceptional contributions of Latin Women artists as part of its annual VOCES series. 23/24 Artist-In-Residence, Suzzette Ortiz, will curate and lead neighborhood youth workshops and performances, infusing the season with her multifaceted work as composer and performer.
The upcoming season promises an array of remarkable experiences, including six world premieres (noted below). As advocates of community engagement, EAC once again presents our Arte en las Calles outdoor neighborhood events, fostering a vibrant atmosphere featuring local artists where art and community intertwine.
Audience favorites: Navidad en el Barrio, ¡Conexiones!, De Cerca, and Stand Up!, return this season in the Teatro featuring evenings of music, comedy, dance and community with LatinX performers.
EAC will collaborate with regional artistic partners to present programs that celebrate both local and internationally acclaimed LatinX artists with the Philadelphia Ballet, Opera Philadelphia, La Guagua 47, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Artístas y Músicos Latinoamericanos, the Dali Quartet, and many more.
Kicking off the season is our much-anticipated event, Arte en las Calles – Opera in the Park, on September 16, presented in partnership with Opera Philadelphia. Bring the entire family for an evening filled with Latin cuisine, a local business fair, live performances, and opera on the big screen. The evening will feature Magdaliz Roura and her Latin Ensemble Crisol, followed by the voices of singers from Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts. The centerpiece of the program will be an outdoor screening of a new film by the Philadelphia Ballet, followed by opera classic, Hansel and Gretel, complete with both English and Spanish captions.
EAC is dedicated to fostering a season of artistic excellence, cultural enrichment, and community unity. We invite you to join us on this kaleidoscopic journey through a broad spectrum of Latino artists and traditions.
Esperanza Arts Center
2023-2024 Season Calendar
Arte en las Calles – Opera in the Park
Outdoor Community Event
Friday, September 16, 2023
6:00pm-9:30pm
ESPERANZA PARKING LOT (4th & Bristol)
General Admission: FREE
Bring the whole family for an evening of Latin food, local business fair, live performances, and opera on the big screen! The evening will feature live performances by Magdaliz Roura and her Latin Ensemble Crisol, and opera singers from Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts. Then, sit under the stars for a special film presentation from the Philadelphia Ballet followed by an outdoor screening of the opera Hansel and Gretel with English and Spanish captions. Part of Opera Philadelphia’s Opera in the Park series.
Free and open to the public.
Registration encouraged but not required.
Arte en las Calles – Opera in the Park is a collaboration between Esperanza Arts Center and Opera Philadelphia.
De Cerca
Philadelphia Ballet
Friday, September 22, 2023
7:30pm
TEATRO ESPERANZA
General Admission: $15
Students & Seniors FREE
De Cerca, returns to Teatro Esperanza, this year featuring Latina dancers of the Philadelphia Ballet. The evening will begin with the premiere of a new film, Moving Words, blending movement, picture and sound in innovative ways to reflect the drama of everyday life in Philadelphia, followed by uplifting 50’s era inspired piece, On Cloud 9, classical variations performed by Philadelphia Ballet company dancers. After the performance, Blanca Huertas-Agnew, Founder and Artistic Director of the Puerto Rico Classical Dance Competition will lead an audience conversation with Latin women dancers of the Ballet.
Part of VOCES Series 23/24
¡Conexiones! Puerto Rico
Orchestra 2001: Roberto Sierra WORLD PREMIERE
Friday, October 27, 2023
7:30pm
TEATRO ESPERANZA
General Admission: $15
Students & Seniors FREE
Orchestra 2001 continues its annual ¡Conexiones! series at Esperanza Arts Center this season featuring contemporary classical music from Puerto Rico. The concert will include the world premiere of Latin Grammy-winning composer Roberto Sierra’s “Canciones de amor” based on poetry of Julia de Burgos; and works by composer and multi-instrumentalist Angélica Negrón.
Part of VOCES Series 23/24
Latina Children’s Stories
Storytime with Stephanie Brown
Saturday, November 18, 2023
3:00pm
TEATRO ESPERANZA
General Admission: $5, Adults
Children & Seniors FREE
Bring the whole family for games, balloons, storytime, and other fun activities! Philadelphia-based children’s author, Dr. Stephanie Brown, reads stories for children featuring female characters and writers from Latin America.
Part of VOCES Series 23/24
Navidad en al Barrio
Community Holiday Celebration
Saturday, December 9, 2023
7:00pm
TEATRO ESPERANZA
General Admission: FREE
A North Philly tradition, Esperanza’s annual Christmas celebration for the community returns to Teatro Esperanza! Join us for an evening of Christmas caroling, traditional Latino music and dance, festive food, face-painting, and fun activities for the entire family.
SALVATION ARMY TOY DRIVE!
Bring a new, unwrapped toy to bless a family this Christmas.
Little Mass for Christmas – WORLD PREMIERE
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Saturday, December 16, 2023
7:30pm
TEATRO ESPERANZA
General Admission: $15, Adults
Students & Seniors FREE
Composer, Evan Williams takes the podium for the world premiere of his Baroque and Medieval-inspired “A Little Mass for Christmas.” Countertenor Reginald Mobley leads a chorus of voices in this intimate interpretation of ancient text and musical tradition.
Retrato: Suzzette Ortiz
EAC 2023/2024 Artist In Residence
Saturday, January 27, 2024
7:30pm
TEATRO ESPERANZA
General Admission: $15, Adults
Students & Seniors FREE
Multifaceted composer and performer, Suzzette Ortiz, curates and performs a kaleidoscopic retrospective of her work spanning Classical, Latin, Choral Music, and Jazz featuring young performers and internationally celebrated musicians.
Part of VOCES Series 23/24
LatinX Composers – Astral Artists
Daniel de Jesus WORLD PREMIERE
Friday, February 16, 2024 (TBC)
6:30pm
TEATRO ESPERANZA
General Admission: $15, Adults
Students & Seniors FREE
Astral Artist’s roster of emerging virtuosos returns to the Teatro with chamber music by Latin American composers, including the world premiere of a new work by Daniel de Jesus.
Stand Up! Latina Comics
with Che Guerrero
Friday, March 15, 2024
7:30pm
TEATRO ESPERANZA
General Admission: $15, Adults
Students & Seniors FREE
Comedian, playwright, storyteller, and Tik-Tok sensation, Che Guerrero returns to Teatro Esperanza to host an evening of bilingual stand-up comedy featuring Latina comedians.
Part of VOCES Series 23/24
Poesía en Movimiento: Cool Salsa – WORLD PREMIERE
Philadelphia Ballet II
Saturday, March 23, 2024
3:00pm
TEATRO ESPERANZA
General Admission: $15, Adults
Children, Students & Seniors FREE
Esperanza Arts Center and Philadelphia Ballet present the world premiere of Poesía en Movimiento: Cool Salsa – poetic reflections on growing up Latino in United States set to dance by choreographer and Philadelphia Ballet II Director, Eddy Tovar.
Part of VOCES Series 23/24
Street Heroines
Screening & Conversation
Saturday, April 13, 2024
7:30pm
General Admission: $15, Adults
Students & Seniors FREE
Juxtaposing the experiences of Latina artists from New York City, Mexico City, and São Paulo as they navigate a male-dominated subculture to establish artistic identities within chaotic urban landscapes, Street Heroines combines anecdotes from pioneering artists including Lady Pink, Swoon, and Toofly in this first-of-its-kind film to capture the collective outcry of female street artists.
Official Trailer: https://youtu.be/DcIgwOhUKnU
Part of VOCES Series 23/24
Mariposas – WORLD PREMIERE
Christina Castro-Tauser
Saturday, April 27, 2024
7:30pm
TEATRO ESPERANZA
General Admission: $15, Adults
Students & Seniors FREE
Evening of dance choreographed by Christina Castro-Tauser exploring the lives and legacy of the Mirabal sisters of the Dominican Republic under Trujillo’s regime and the strength of women through time.
Part of VOCES Series 23/24
Corazón de Esperanza – WORLD PREMIERE
Gilda Lyons: Dali Quartet with Ben Toth
Thursday, May 16, 2024
7:30pm
General Admission: $15, Adults
Students & Seniors FREE
Nicaraguan-American composer/vocalist Gilda Lyons’ new work for voice, percussion, strings, and media interweaves universally humane reflections on Nicaraguan culture in a series of musical portraits inspired by found text, extant poems, and stories told in the words of those who have lived them.
Part of VOCES Series 23/24
Lyric Fest Mariachi!
Mexican Classical Song & Ranchera Folksong with Mariachi Band
Saturday, May 18, 2024
Event begins 2:00pm; Performance begins 3:00pm
TEATRO ESPERANZA
General Admission: $5, Adults
Children & Seniors FREE
A fun, family-friendly afternoon of Mariachi, Mexican art and folk songs, food, face painting, and local artesanías. Experience the richness of Mexico, both in beautiful classical songs for voice and piano by some of Mexico’s finest composers, and in the electrifying style of ranchera songs with Mariachi. All sung by dazzling artists, Cecilia Violetta Lopez and Levi Hernandez.
Free shuttle bus! Juntos (departing 1pm) to/from Esperanza (departing 4:30pm).
Arte en las Calles
Outdoor Community Celebration
featuring La GuaGua 47
Saturday, June 29, 2024
6:00pm-9:30pm
Esperanza Parking Lot (4th & Bristol)
General Admission: FREE
Come celebrate summer with an evening of Latin food and music, live performances, screenings, balloons, and a local business fair!
Free and open to the public.
Registration encouraged but not required.
23/24 COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS & RESIDENCY ACTIVITIES
NICHOS
Tanaquil Marquez
Esperanza Arts Center and artists Tanaquil Marquez (writer/ director), Ximena Violante (musical director), and Calo Rosa (muralist) present Nichos, a multidisciplinary theater creation following the story of Ehécatl, an indigenous man, on his immigration odyssey across time and space. With major support by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage and the National Endowment for the Arts, and devised by a collective of community members, artists and the Mexico City native band Ampersan, Nichos will explore the cultural ethos of Mexican identity through workshops, oral histories, and personal stories through multidisciplinary theater, indigenous storytelling, and community engagement.
The project will begin this summer with workshops designed for migrant and LatinX community members to participate in the development of the piece as they explore Mexican cultural roots through music, theater and art. Workshops will be held at notable LatinX locations throughout Philadelphia such as Alma del Mar (Mexican restaurant), Casa Mexico (Mexican Restaurant) and The Open Kitchen Sculpture Garden. This exploration will inform the final piece, which will premiere at Teatro Esperanza in Hunting Park in Fall 2024.
SUZZETTE ORTIZ
EAC Artist in Residence
Choral residency and workshops at Esperanza Academy High School centered on the creation of a new collaborative composition led by the composer.
LULLABY PROJECT
Carnegie Hall
Esperanza Arts Center continues throughout the 2023/2024 season as Community Partner. Caregivers participate in 6-week music sessions to create lullabies for their children with local Latino musicians while discovering fun new ways to sing, move, and play during fmaily time.
GABRIELA MARTINEZ
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society
Workshop session and Q&A for young musicians from Artístas y Músicos Latinoamericanos (AMLA) and Hunting Parks neighborhood schools.
POESIA EN MOVIMIENTO
Philadelphia Ballet
Members of Philadelphia Ballet preview their world premiere with a workshop and Q&A on setting movement to poetry with middle and high school dance students from Esperanza Academy.
GILDA LYONS & THE DALI QUARTET
Corazón de Esperanza
Gilda Lyons leads a bilingual talk about her own career as a visual artist, vocalist, and composer, and presents excerpts of her new mixed-media work to area seniors.
TICKETS & INFORMATION
For media inquiries, please contact Bill Rhoads at brhoads@esperanza.us
Esperanza Arts Center is the center for Latino arts and culture in the Philadelphia region – presenting music, dance, theater, and cinema from Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as a broad spectrum of traditions from around the world.
Esperanza was founded in 1986 to serve “the least of these” (the underserved and marginalized) and to strengthen Hispanic communities and all who live within them. Over nearly four decades, Esperanza has grown into a $72 million organization with 630 employees serving approximately 25,000 people annually through K-14 education, community and economic development, the arts, and social change programs. Esperanza is building an “opportunity community” in Hunting Park – a place marked by decent and affordable housing, increasing prosperity, growing businesses, great schools, safe streets, creative spaces, and robust community life, where anyone at any income level can thrive.
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS & SPONSORS
Connelly Foundation, State of PA, Comcast, William Penn Foundation, Mellon Foundation, PA Sharp, Office of Arts and the Creative Economy, Presser Foundation, Musical Fund Society, Mattel, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Pennsylvania Humanities Council, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, and the National Endowment for the Arts.