Past Activities
for our current activities click here.
September 14, 2024
Presentation of a New Book
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May 29, 2023
Successful Conclusion to the First Assembly Workshop
of the Puerto Rican Tiple at Casa Paoli
Monday, May 29, saw the conclusion of Casa Paoli's first tiple-making workshop, organized by its director / founder, Néstor Murray-Irizarry, led by prominent luthier, William R. Cumpiano, and assisted by professor of industrial arts, Carlos Iván Rosado. This workshop is part of Casa Paoli's ongoing efforts to rescue the traditional musical instruments of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, instruments that have been forgotten or replaced by time. The effort has been dubbed Rescate del Olvido [Rescue from Oblivion].
Nine traditional stringed instruments of exceptional appearance and function were assembled and finished by nine students—and one by instructor Cumpiano—in 18 hours over a period of three days. The workshop took place in the courtyard of Casa Paoli under a recently installed retractable awning and on work tables made by Rosado and with a full complement of tools and
supplies gathered and paid for with donations from public and private sources. The students paid only the costs of their materials.
The workshop is the latest in a series of 15 annual workshops conducted since 2006 by Cumpiano and St. Luke's Church in the Hispanic community of Humboldt Park, Chicago. However, this workshop was the first in a series of instrument restoration workshops planned by the Center, given the success of future fundraising efforts and public support.
The workshop was honored with the visit of cuatro player, Edwin Colón Zayas, one of the most important traditional musicians in Puerto Rico, who graced the event with an improvised concert of live traditional music, accompanied on guitar by the distinguished major instrumental artisan from Puerto Rico, Manuel Rodríguez Feneque.
September 9, 2023
Presentation: new book on the troubadours of arecibo
Dr. Emanuel Dufrasne González
Braulio Salvá
Fabiola Muñoz Ortiz
Ismael Colón Cortés
Nellie Lebrón Robles
Casa Paoli, of the Puerto Rican Folklore Research Center, Inc., presented the book Trovadores Populares de Arecibo [Popular Troubadours of Arecibo] by José Limón de Arce (1887-1940), on Saturday, September 9, 2023, at 3:00 pm, at Luis Muñoz Marín Foundation Amphitheater (State Highway 877, San Juan, 787-755-7979).
This new 251-page publication, edited by Néstor Murray-Irizarry, provides very interesting content:
1) a summary of the life and work of Limón de Arce, one of the most outstanding historians, poets, labor leaders, playwrights, speakers and musicians of his generation; 2) a preliminary study on the troubadours, improvisation, and collective memory by the prominent writer Félix Córdova Iturregui; and 3) the valuable chronicle Trovadores Populares de Arecibo by Limón de Arce.
The presentation of this new book was hosted by ethnomusicologist, Dr. J. Emanuel Dufrasne González, retired professor of UPR, Río Piedras. Also participating were the renowned musicians-cuatristas Fabiola Muñoz Ortiz and Braulio Salvá; troubadour Ismael Colon Cortés; and Professor Nellie Lebrón Robles, Conservatory music teacher.
Our great writer and artist, Ernesto Álvarez, a native of Arecibo, said of Limón de Arce: 'The author’s self frequently asserts itself in the narrative discourse, transforming history into a chronicle, with some nuances, and more precisely, into a testimony.” Julio Soto Ramos, a distinguished writer and personal friend of Limón de Arce, commented that “His prose is another outstanding facet of his personality. He held his calling as a writer in such high regard that he never compromised his ethics. His pen was a Toledan sword, placed at the service of the noblest causes.”
November 12, 2022
CONVERSATION: Félix Córdoba Iturregui on his new book,
La Décima Criolla de Luis Llorens Torres
September 14-23, 2022
VI Jornadas de las Humanidades
[VI Humanities Conference]
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I - LOS ABORIGENES NAVEGANTES DEL CARIBE
[I-The Aboriginal Navigators of the Caribbean]
Dr. Reniel Rodríguez Ramos
The indigenous inhabitants of Puerto Rico and the rest of the insular Caribbean were great navigators. Their nautical skills allowed them to have diverse interactions with societies on various islands of the Antilles as well as on the surrounding continents. This lecture presented the archaeological evidence of these interactions and discussed their implications for the social and cultural makeup of past Antillean societies.
SEE THE CONFERENCE HERE.
II - LA ESCLAVITUD URBANA EN PUERTO RICO:
HISTORIA, REFLEXIONES Y PERSPECTIVAS
[II-Urban Slavery in Puerto Rico: History, Reflections, and Perspectives]
Raúl Mayo Santana, Mariano Negrón Portillo, and Manuel Mayo López
In this presentation, we first described the history of urban slavery in Puerto Rico, including a brief overview of the current state of this particular field of historical research—at a time when there is an apparent stagnation in general research on slavery. Second, we reflected on the historical theses on slavery presented in our studies on urban slavery and on the contracts of freedmen. Finally, we point out how some of the most recent findings regarding the lives of former slaves after abolition suggest new perspectives.
SEE THE CONFERENCE HERE.
III - EL ORO BLANCO: LA PRODUCCIÓN DE ALGODÓN EN EL SIGLO XIX AL SUR DE PUERTO RICO
[III-White Gold: Cotton Production in the 19th Century in Southern Puerto Rico]
Dr. Soraya Serra Collazo
Cotton fiber was a key part of Puerto Rico's local agricultural export production in the 19th century. It was even considered the fourth most important economic sector during part of that period. This presentation discussed the local and international reasons for the development of this agricultural production and the specific characteristics of the island's southern region that facilitated the cultivation of this mallow plant. It also addressed some of the factors that prevented local production from meeting the global demand for cotton fiber, driven by the European textile industry, leading to a decline in exports during the last third of the century. This research positions Puerto Rico as a contributor to the history of the production of the other white gold, cotton fiber, in the 19th century.
SEE THE CONFERENCE HERE.
January 4, 2022
RADIO PROGRAM: Puerto Rican Christmas Music from the Past
On January 4, 2022, the Center's director/founder, Néstor Murray-Irizarry, and Puerto Rican artisan William R. Cumpiano, a frequent Center collaborator and researcher/co-founder of the Puerto Rican Cuatro Project, participated live in the program "Claro y al Punto" [Clear and to the Point], hosted by journalist Perla Franco, and broadcast Monday through Friday on radio station WPAB AM in Ponce. The primary purpose of this program was to raise awareness among radio listeners about the importance of knowing, enjoying, and sharing traditional Puerto Rican Christmas music, of which Cumpiano made a selection, at Murray's request. The master artisan shared valuable historical information before each piece was played. Recordings made on wax cylinders dating back to 1914 were played, as well as old commercial recordings of Christmas carols from 1929-1932. In addition, there were field recordings of authentic Christmas carols linked to the Epiphany and recordings made by musicologist Kacho Montalvo and published on his CD, Adoradores del Fuego [Fire Worshippers], featuring old troubadours and musicians from Peñuelas.
LISTEN TO THIS ENTIRE RADIO PROGRAM AT THE LINK BELOW.
December 4, 2021
Casa Paoli's Fifth Cultural trill
Casa Paoli, headquarters of the Puerto Rican Folklore Research Center, Inc., in partnership with the Museo de la Historia de Ponce, celebrated the 45th anniversary of the former and 30th anniversary of the latter on Saturday, December 4, 2021, from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., with an educational arts event called the Casa Paoli Cultural Trail. This walking tour from the Museo to Casa Paoli and back included talks, music (including traditional Puerto Rican music, bomba, plena, and other popular compositions), performances by traditional Puerto Rican instruments, a choral performance by the Patria y Cultura Orchestra, exhibits, art, crafts, and documentary screenings.
The activities began at the Museo de la Historia de Ponce at 2:00 p.m. with a discussion about an important discovery of traditional musical instruments, forgotten in our country but preserved at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Participants included Dr. Noraliz Ruiz, museology student Norman Storer Corrada, luthier William Cumpiano, and cuatro player Andrés Yambo Febus and his traditional music group.
August 14, 2020
CONCERT: 150 Years of Tenor Antonio Paoli
Casa Paoli, of the Puerto Rican Folklore Research Center, Inc., with the support of the Puerto Rican Foundation for the Humanities (National Endowment for the Humanities) and the Flamboyán Arts Fund, organized a concert commemorating the 150th anniversary of the birth of tenor Antonio Paoli. The event, titled "150 Years of Tenor Antonio Paoli," was recorded on Saturday, March 6, 2021, in the Jesús María Sanromá Hall of the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. Click here to see photos and more details of the event.
ENJOY VIDEO OF THE CONCERT BELOW.
October 31, 2020 - May 13, 2021 [interrupted by COVID]
IV jornadas de las humanidades en Casa Paoli
[IV Humanities Conference at casa paoli]
The Regional Center of the Puerto Rican Humanities Foundation (FPH) at Casa Paoli in Ponce offers workshops and discussions for teachers and the general public on topics of interest related to Puerto Rican culture. The activities ran through December 2020 and offered a variety of options covering history, health, emigration, archaeology, technology, literature, children's music, architecture, urban life, and more. While the discussions were designed to enrich the curricula for teachers and librarians in the Department of Education, they were also open to the general public. Many of the talks were expected to be broadcast on the radio and uploaded to the FPH's social media pages: Facebook: Centro de Investigaciónes Folclóricas; Casa Paoli; and Néstor Murray.
August 14, 2020
Casa Paoli Virtual Forum:
Commemoration of the Life
and Work of Julio Micheli
Detail from Coleópteros de Puerto Rico
Center/Casa Paoli and Galeria Trinitaria presented two programs on social media to commemorate the 83rd anniversary of the birth of Julio Micheli Lebrón, one of Puerto Rico's great contemporary artists. The first program, "Julio Micheli," was sponsored by Galeria Trinitaria Arte Para Todos. The second program, "Julio Micheli: A Consecrated Artist of Contemporary Art," was sponsored by the Casa Paoli Forum. Both audiovisual programs sought to remind the island's inhabitants of the artist—painter, scientist, sculptor, ceramist, and university professor—Julio Micheli Lebrón (1937–2014). In the first discussion at Galeria Trinitaria, cultural manager Jaime Vázquez interviewed retired university professor Néstor Murray-Irizarry; in the second, Murray-Irizarry interviewed the artist's seven children.
He studied (on a scholarship) for a master's degree in painting at Claremont Graduate University in California. From 1965, Micheli taught in the then newly inaugurated art department at what is now the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico (Ponce campus).
He excelled in painting, watercolor, printmaking, and sculpture. He participated in more than 50 solo and group exhibitions. In the 1960s, Néstor Murray-Irizarry organized a group exhibition at the Museo de Arte de Ponce, then directed by Dr. René Taylor. In 1990, the Center-Casa Paoli honored him with an exhibition, and in 2010, the Museo de Arte de Ponce and the Conservation Trust followed suit, organizing another exhibition entitled Julio Micheli: Coleópteros de Puerto Rico [Julio Micheli: Beetles of Puerto Rico]. He received numerous awards. In 2010, Pensost Publishing House published his book Los longicornios de Puerto Rico [The Long-Eared Beetles of Puerto Rico]. He had several highly accomplished students, including Andrés Rodríguez Santos and Diógenes Ballester.
Julio Micheli Lebrón
November 30, 2019
Casa Paoli Cultural Festival:
Solidarity with puerto Rican Culture Day
In November 2019, Casa Paoli and its surrounding area in Ponce, including the section of Calle Mayor in front of the building, hosted a large, all-day event open to the public, organized by the Center. Outside, kiosks were set up along the street featuring regional artisans working with leather, textiles, jewelry, typical foods, and traditional games for children. Inside Casa Paoli and on its grounds, there were live traditional music concerts, aerial acrobatics, sculpture and printmaking exhibitions, traditional and modern dance workshops, musical performances, and discussions with artists, musicians, and historians. The event concluded that evening with a film forum.
CLICK HERE FOR A LARGE-FORMAT
VERSION OF THE PROGRAM POSTER.
November 9, 2019
BOOK PRESENTATION:
Puerto Rico y su Plena:
Nuevas Fuentes para su Estudio
[Puerto Rico and Its Plena:
New Sources for its Study]
In November 2010, the Puerto Rican Folklore Research Center presented to the public in western Puerto Rico, the new book published by Guilarte Editores, Puerto Rico y su Plena: Nuevas Fuentes para su Estudio, the product of the combined efforts of musicologist J. Emanuel Durfrasne González and historian and researcher Néstor Murray-Irizarry.
The event took place at the Museo Defilló in Mayagüez and was sponsored by the Casa Pilar Defilló and Sea Grant of Puerto Rico.
October 5, 2019
Exhibition:
Foto-Teatro by
Eric Borcherdin
Casa Paoli, of the Puerto Rican Folklore Research Center, Inc., along with UPAGRA, Fundación Nacional para la Música Popular, Colegio de Actores de Puerto Rico, COOPAR, Friends of Eric Borcherding, Carlos Lazarte, and Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, sponsored the presentation of a photography exhibition by renowned Puerto Rican photographer Eric Borcherding, which opened on Thursday, October 5, at 7:00 p.m., at the Museo de la Historia de Ponce. The exhibition showcased his work promoting theater in Puerto Rico for over three decades. It featured some of the most prominent actors and actresses in contemporary Puerto Rican theater and was dedicated to the memory of Iris Martínez and Brunilda García.
December 1, 2018
Solidarity with Puerto Rican Culture Day at Casa Paoli
After being closed to the public for seven years,
Casa Paoli celebrated its reopening in Ponce.
In December 2018, the Center celebrated Solidarity with Culture Day from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The activities began with a guided tour of the permanent exhibits, demonstrations of engraving techniques, and lectures: "The History of Traditional Puerto Rican Instruments: The Bordonúa and the Vihuela" by luthier William Cumpiano; "Corsicans in Puerto Rico: New Research" by Dr. Marie Jean Paoletti de Casablanca; and Dr. J. Emanuel Dufrasne González and Eng. Ramón Cintrón Velázquez presented the new book, La Plena Puertorriqueña: New Sources for its Study, by Néstor Murray-Irizarry and Dufrasne González.
Music was also featured: Dr. Francisco López Cruz Jíbara Orchestra and the musical group Patria y Cultura performed. Sculptors, painters, artisans, and farmers also participated. The Boricua Workshop of New York and Casa Paoli exhibited their books, t-shirts, CDs, DVDs and educational materials.
CLICK HERE FOR A LARGE-FORMAT
VERSION OF THE PROGRAM POSTER.
November 14, 2014 (18 months)
EXHIBITION:
Mi Música [My Music]:
A Display of Puerto Rican Musical Instruments from the Museo Las Américas
In November 2014, an exhibition of the collection of Puerto Rican autonomous musical instruments opened at the Museo de las Americas in Old San Juan. It consisted of folk instruments from various institutions and private collections, including instruments representative of indigenous, Caribbean, European, and African groups.
The exhibition, organized and produced by the Center, received support from the Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades (National Endowment for the Humanities), Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, Artisanal Development Division/Industrial Development Company, Inter-American University of Puerto Rico (Metro campus), Puerto Rican Cuatro Project, Imprenta Hera, Fundación Dr. Francisco López Cruz, and Art Things.
CLICK HERE FOR A FULL-SIZE VERSION OF THE
BROCHURE AND EXHIBITION CATALOGUE.
2012
SEMINAR:
Meeting of scholars and researchers of traditional instruments of Puerto Rico
April 29, 2011
COMMUNITY EVENT:
Cleaning Up Ponce Beach
Among the activities organized by the Center in 2011, with the support of the Ford Foundation, beach cleanups stood out. The main objective was to raise awareness among residents of neighborhoods living closest to our beaches to prevent environmental pollution and keep the beaches free of solid waste. A very effective cleanup and debris removal effort was carried out in an area very close to the San Tomas housing development in La Playa, Ponce, where several of the master artisans of papier-mâché masks for the Ponce Carnival live, particularly near the main street where Miguel A. Caraballo García and his family live. A very active group of staff from the Center and the Autonomous Municipal Government of Ponce participated, along with community volunteers.
The second year of the Project was dedicated to re-educating many residents who had purchased properties in flood-prone or landslide-prone areas. We organized a team that included structural engineers, lawyers, architects, educators, and volunteers, who visited several communities, providing guidance and making our professional resources available to these residents.
Design by Sonia Méndez
PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS: Casa Paoli, Ponce Autonomous Municipal Administration, Department of Environmental Control and Recycling (DIAT), Municipal Department of Public Works, Municipal Beautification Department, Office of the Municipal Police Commissioner, Housing Rehabilitation Office, Department of Emergency Management, Recreation and Sports, PHI ZETA CHI Fraternity, Ford Foundation, Scuba Dogs Society.
PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS: Escuela Lucy Grillasca, Escuela Eugenio María de Hostos, Escuela Santiago González, Escuela Segundo Ruiz Belvis.
March 8, 2010
SEMINAR:
New Sources for the Study of Afro-Puerto Rican Heritage
In March 2010, the Folklore Research Center directed and organized an event within its Permanent Seminar Series on Afro-Puerto Rican Studies, aimed at librarians from high and middle schools in the Ponce educational area. The seminar, titled "New Sources for the Study of Afro-Puerto Rican Heritage," was held at the Hacienda Buena Vista in Ponce. Participants included historian Manuel Mayo López, researcher and filmmaker Lydia Milagros González, playwright and writer Roberto Ramos Perea, and historian and researcher Néstor Murray-Irizarry.
The event was sponsored by the Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades (National Endowment for the Humanities).
November 6, 2009
CONCIERTO:
Trío Guafa
In November 2009, a performance by the Colombian traditional music group, Trío Guafa, took place at the Casa Paoli headquarters, in commemoration of the IV Ibero-American Arts Festival.
October 2, 1999
FIRST COMPETITION
for the manufacture of the old cuatro, bordonúa and tiple
Various old cuatros presented by the contestants.
Commemorative brochure for the event, including an engraving by the artist José R. Alicea
Room of Casa Paoli where the cuatros and bordonúas
submitted by artisans for evaluation were kept.
Jury members examining the competition entries.
From left to right: Juan Sotomayor (Puerto Rican Cuatro Project); Myrna Pérez (Dr. Francisco López Cruz Foundation); Miguel Acevedo Flores, master luthier; and Néstor Hernández, music professor, UPR.
Judges absent: William Cumpiano, master luthier; Orlando Laureano, professor, Puerto Rico Music Conservatory.
Room of Casa Paoli where the tiples submitted by artisans for evaluation were kept.
Detail of the winning tiple, made by the artisan
Aurelio Cruz Pagán of Morovis
Researcher Juan Sotomayor examines a bordonúa during the evaluation period.
November 16, 1996 (opening)
EXHIBITION:
From the Primitive to the Virtual: Digital Art by the artist Teo Freytes
In November 1996, an exhibition of the work of renowned artist Teo Freytes opened. The event was dedicated to Ponce public schools where Freytes taught elementary school children as part of Project MAIZ—the first such classes outside the metropolitan area. The exhibition was sponsored by the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico (Ponce campus).
December 28, 1991
Concert:
orquesta sinfónica de
Puerto Rico
celebración de aniversario
SOUTHERN ENTERTAINMENT
To celebrate the 120th anniversary of Antonio Paoli's birth, the sixth anniversary since the establishment of our permanent headquarters; the first anniversary of the opening of Casa Paoli, and the first Christmas after the restoration of Casa Paoli, we organized our first cultural celebration. It was a grand event. The day's program was quite varied:
*At Teatro La Perla, the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Roselín Pabón, performed compositions by L. Anderson, G. Pierne, and P. I. Tchaikovsky in the first part of the program, and compositions or musical arrangements related to Christmas in the second part. Among the composers featured in this segment were: J.I. Quintón, I. Berlin, L. Anderson, Radames Reyes Arfau, J. López, M. Besosa, M. Vizoso, and J. Andino.
*At Casa Paoli, an exhibition of engravings by José R. Alicea, "Tribute to Rafael Hernández Marín," was on display for the centenary of his birth. Paracumbé, a Bomba and Plena group directed by J. Emanuel Dufrasne González, performed. Cuerdas y Voces, a musical group comprised of David Hernández and Emma Torres, performed Hernández's compositions. The documentary "Antonio Paoli: Tenor of Kings and King of Tenors" was screened. A literary evening was held in the AAA parking lot with Antonio Blasini, Carmen Rivera Lugo, and David Santiago.
19 de mayo de 1991
Conferencia:
Primer conferencia
Schomburg sobre el negro
Teniendo a la vista el gran legado cultural que hemos heredado de la cantidad de negros esclavos que nos llegaron desde el continente africano - y del Gran Caribe - a nuestras playas, el Centro-Casa Paoli organizó la Primera Conferencia Schomburg Sobre el Negro.
Con el auspicio de la Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades participaron los siguientes humanistas y sus respectivos temas:
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Dr. Jos Gansemans del Museo Real del África Central en Bélgica: Algunas características de la música tradicional en el oeste y África Central y de la Fundación Nacional de Investigación de Bélgica
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Profesora Flor Piñero de Rivera, Arturo Alfonso Schomburg
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Dr. Mariano Negrón Portillo: La esclavitud urbana en el Puerto Rico del siglo XIX / Segundo Ruiz Belvis, esclavista
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Dra. Julia Cristina Ortiz Lugo: Presencia africana en la cuentista de tradición oral en Puerto Rico.
Jos Gansemans y nuestro Centro
Un homenaje a Arturo Alfonso Schomburg
El presidente fundador de nuestro Centro invitó en 1990 al etnomusicólogo
belga Jos Gansemans a Puerto Rico. Jos era miembro del Departamento de Antropología Cultural del Museo Real del África Central y era muy reconocido por sus investigaciones, grabaciones y publicaciones sobre la música tradicional de África y del Caribe.
La invitación se dio en el marco de una conferencia internacional de Folclor que se llevó a cabo a finales de la década de 1980 en Curazao. Mildred Canetti de Puerto Rico fue la delegada enlace para ese evento. Ambos humanistas representaban a sus respectivos países en la mencionada Conferencia. En aquella ocasión se le sugirió a Jos que visitara a Puerto Rico para que investigara y grabara la música tradicional del suroeste del país. Se le aclaró que el Centro no contaba con fondos para sufragar sus honorarios y su transportación área, pero que si podíamos hacernos cargo de los gastos de hospedaje y transportación terrestre.
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg (1874- 1938) fue un destacado puertorriqueño que lucho durante toda su vida por divulgar y enriquecer la cultura africana y su legado al mundo. Además, fue un gran luchador en contra del racismo. Hizo un acopio de materiales y documentos sobre África tan impresionante y valioso que la Biblioteca Pública de Nueva York lo compró y utilizando esa riqueza bibliográfica organizó la colección Schomburg en 1925 y construyó en Harlem una edificación conocida como el Centro Schomburg [Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture]. Es considerado como uno de las más importantes instituciones de su clase en el mundo: investiga, conserva, exhibe, publica materiales enfocados en la cultura afroamericana, en la diáspora africana y en la experiencia africana.
Jos Gansemans llegó a Puerto Rico con su esposa Chris. El Dr. Nelson Quiñones Romeu los hospedó en Ponce completamente gratis y el rector del Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez (RUM) le facilitó una de las residencias para profesores visitantes en el RUM. Gansemans hizo un acopio, probablemente, de la muestra más importante que se haya recogido en la zona suroeste de nuestra música tradicional de origen afro puertorriqueña en esa época y con fondos y equipo profesional traído de Bélgica.
Gansemans hizo varios viajes adicionales a Puerto Rico y grabó varios CD de la música puertorriqueña con el auspicio del Museo para el cual trabajaba en Bélgica. El Centro-Casa Paoli le compró todos los materiales que él trajo al país sobre el tema de la música afrocaribeña y de África. Además, Jos, como parte de la alianza con el Museo Real del África Central, le donó al Centro-Casa Paoli todas las grabaciones en casetes que Jos produjo en sus investigaciones. Todo ese material forma parte de los archivos de nuestra institución. Consideramos que esta actividad es una de las grandes aportaciones que el Centro Casa Paoli ha hecho a nuestro país. Además, es un homenaje a la memoria del insigne puertorriqueño Arturo Alfonso Schomburg. ¡Salve Schomburg!
1990
Recital:
Eva de la'O,soprano
Ivonne Figueroa, piano
Narciso Figueroa, piano
Nuestro Centro-Casa Paoli mantuvo una colaboración por muchos años con Ivonne Figueroa, miembro de la tercera generación del Quinteto de los Hermanos Figueroa y destacada pianista y profesora de educación musical de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, recinto de Río Piedras. El presidente-fundador del Centro-Casa Paoli coordinaba conciertos y recitales en diversas ciudades del país para el disfrute del público en general y libre de costo. Los honorarios para los músicos provenían de un donativo legislativo que el Quinteto recibía a través del Instituto de Cultura Puerto-rriqueña.
Los conciertos siempre tuvieron mucho éxito y recibían una gran publicidad a nivel local. Se seleccionaba una institución que tuviera un buen piano y se procedía a coordinar todos los detalles correspondientes. Así se pudo organizar conciertos en Aguadilla, San Germán, Ponce, Arecibo, entre otros. La mayoría de las actividades se llevaron a cabo en Ponce. En Ponce, el Centro organizó un concierto del Grupo Mompou de España, invitados a Puerto Rico por el Quinteto de los Hermanos Figueroa.
Don Jesús Figueroa y doña Carmen Sanabia crearon una hermosa familia de músicos puertorriqueños: tres hijas que se dedicaron a la enseñanza y a la ejecución del piano: Leonor, Carmelina y Angelina; cinco hijos varones que se destacaron como los integrantes del Quinteto de los Hermanos Figueroa: José y Kachiro (violines); Guillermo (viola); Rafael (cello); y Narciso (piano).La tercera generación la forman: Ivonne (pianista); Guillermo (violín); Narciso (violín) y Rafael (chelo).
El Quinteto se formó en 1935 en Paris, mientras José enseñaba clases de violín en la Ecole Normale de Musique y sus hermanos finalizaban allí sus estudios de sus instrumentos preferidos. Debutó en Puerto Rico en 1939 y en Nueva York: en 1942 en el Town Hall y en 1948 en el Carnegie Hall. En 1981 la tercera y cuarta generación [11 músicos] se presentaron en el Carnegie Hall de Nueva York en un célebre y exitoso concierto.
Es un privilegio que nuestro país pudiera contar con músicos de grandes méritos como la familia Figueroa y que todavía la tercera generación nos deleita con sus maravillosas interpretaciones.
Recital de Eva de La ‘O, soprano puertorriqueña radicada en Nueva York., acompańada al piano por Ivonne Figueroa y Narciso Figueroa en Ponce.1990. Observa el Padre José Basols del Colegio Ponceńo.
Narciso e Yvonne Figueroa
4 de mayo del 1990 (primera muestra)
SERIE:
Primera muestra de Cine
y video independiente
Durante tres años (1990-1993) consecutivos el Centro, por iniciativa del maestro Manuel Rodríguez Munet (QEPD), gran artista innovador de las artes plásticas, se llevó a cabo en nuestra sede muestras de cine y video independiente. Cada muestra incluía animaciones en computadoras, animación sin cámara, documentales y ficción.
Se presentaron, en el patio de la Casa Paoli, trabajos realizados por Poli Marichal, Kino García, Waldo Sánchez, Eduardo Cánovas, Marimáter O’Neill, Moncho Conde, Munet, Luis Ojeda, Julio Micheli y Javier Domingo, entre otros. Se pretendió establecer un foro adicional e innovador en el área sur-oeste del país para que los cineastas pudieran presentar sus creaciones ante la consideración del público. Tuvo el auspicio de Cine La Red, Grupo de Cine La Guancha y el Colegio Universitario Tecnológico de Ponce.
1992-—Segunda Muestra de cine y video independiente
La segunda muestra de cine y video independiente se celebró en la Casa Paoli en el 1992.
De izquierda a derecha:
Brunilda Ramírez,Manuel Ramírez,Narciso Vilarò Canals, Kino García, Néstor Murray-Irizarry, Luis Ojeda, Julio Micheli y Manuel Rodríguez Munet.
13 de octubre de 1981 y 1982
SERIE DE CONFERENCIAS:
PALIQUES DE LA COMUNIDAD
En el 1981 y otra vez en 1982 se llevaron a cabo en Ponce una serie de charlas al público a cargo de grandes humanistas, historiadores y musicólogos puertorriqueños. Entre ellos, Pedro Escabi Agostini, Gustavo Batista, Calixta Vélez, Dr. Mariano Negrón Prtillo, y el Dr. Ricardo E. Alegría. La gama de temas fue ancha y diversa, incluyendo la historia de nuestros instrumentos de cuerda, juegos infantiles, la cultura popular, la integración racial, la doctrina católica a nivel de tradición popular, el género musical de la bomba y el léxico del cafe entre otras. Una descripción del contenido de los paliques en esta serie se encuentran AQUI.
El folklorista Pedro Escabi Agostini lidera un palique de la comunidad en 1982
1982-Ricardo E.Alegría y Enrique A.Laguerre momentos antes de la presentación del Palique de la Comunidad que dirigió Alegria en Ponce sobre la Integración racial y cultural en PR
Cartel conmemorativo por José R. Alicea
1982- El profesor Luis Manuel Alvarez, demostrando cómo se ejecuta una marímbula ,instrumento de origen africano que heredamos a través de la presencia africana en el Caribe. Conferencia del profesor universitario Alvarez en el Antiguo Casino de Ponce como parte de los Paliques de la Comunidad.