El Puente Artist Spotlight: Harmony Project
The 10th Annual El Puente Festival at Tempe Center for the Arts is returning as an in-person event for the first time since 2019! On Sunday, April 10 from 2 to 5:30 p.m., Cultural Coalition has put together a fantastic line-up of local performing arts organizations, including youth arts organizations. One of the youth organizations returning this year is Harmony Project Phoenix, a long time collaborator with us and this year they’re bringing something new – their ASL Choir!
When Cultural Coalition festival organizers found out about this performance from Harmony Project Phoenix, we had to reach out to Executive Director of the Harmony Project Phoenix (HPP) Diogo Pereira to learn more. For those who may not be familiar with HPP, we asked Diogo to share a little about the organization.
“Harmony Project Phoenix is a research-based mentoring program that uses music as a tool for positive youth development and social inclusion. The program is provided at no cost to underserved students in the greater Phoenix area,” stated Pereira. “Our mission is to harness the transformative power of music to increase access to higher education for underserved students by removing systemic barriers to achievement through academic and social support. We envision a world in which all students – regardless of color, gender, income, background, or zip code – have equal access to opportunities to make music and the resources needed to thrive in college and beyond.”
The Harmony Project has performed at Cultural Coalition festivals in the past. You may have seen their virtual performance during the 2021 El Puente Festival held on our YouTube channel. But for this years’ festival Diogo shared HPP is debuting its American Sign Language (ASL) Choir.
“At Harmony Project Phoenix, we believe the arts have the power to fuel social change, inspire young people, and foster understanding amongst people of diverse cultures, backgrounds, and capabilities. From this perspective, we are really excited to share that Harmony Project Phoenix has launched its first ASL Choir, an innovative all-inclusive sign language choir that serves primarily deaf and hard of hearing children.” Diogo continued, “One of the main goals of the ASL Choir is to enhance public awareness about the capabilities of people who are deaf or hard of hearing by promoting public performances in the most prestigious venues of Arizona. We are proud to say that the ASL Choir is now up and running and will debut in concert at El Puente Fest.” In addition, the Harmony Project Phoenix will also bring their Orquesta Juvenil Latino Caribeña to perform the hits of Latin Jazz music.
El Puente, spanish for bridge, is named so because not just because of the Tempe Pedestrian Bridge we cross, not just because we aim to bridge communities through sharing culture, but also because this festival bridges generations through traditional arts. Cultural Coalition is honored to provide opportunities for youth to not only appreciate the arts, but to also participate in the arts. As Diogo Periera reflected on the Cultural Coalition and Harmony Project Phoenix partnership, “We are proud to call the Cultural Coalition a partner because we share common values, practices and together we are advancing a common cause of making access to arts more equitable.”
