Youth Workshop

Jonathan Suazo is a Puerto Rican Saxophonist / Composer / Educator. His music is inspired by artists like Kenny Garrett, Miguel Zenón, David Sánchez, John Coltrane and many more. His new afro-caribbean project RICANO is currently on tour as it leads to the official album release with Ropeadope Records on August 4th 2023. The Ricano project highlights traditional rhythms from Jonathan's Puerto Rican / Dominican roots within a Cross-Cultural Fusion container of his musical influences. Prior to his set, Jonathan will be offering an interactive workshop with the attending community. This Ricano workshop will lead the attendees through several Afro Puerto Rican and Afro Dominican styles in the form of drum circles to provide a hands-on experience directly related to Jonathan's compositions. Ricano shows have plenty of crowd involvement, so, consider this your general rehearsal to join the band when the time comes!

Understanding that Springfield, MA and surrounding towns/cities have the highest density of Boricuas and other Latinx communities per square mile in the US, and in the way of celebrating not only our shared struggles but shared stories, El Departamento de la Comida, a grassroots food project from Puerto Rico, will be creating a living breathing “pop-up” space dedicated to the seeds, farms, and practices of “campesinxs”, from Borikén and other islands, to join and share Caribbean food and agricultural ways of life. This pop-up will take place in a way that acts as an oasis for many diaspora residents attending the Festival, who struggle with not being able to access the landscapes their identities are strongly based on.

Seeds, higüeras, plants and other objects, photographs of different scenes sharing the daily lives of farmers and the local food movement, will be found inside the shipping container. Outside there will be tables and chairs to share stories, and several places where the public will be able to contribute to the ever growing archive of agricultural exchange of knowledge within Caribbean and diaspora communities.