Almost 200 performers got together Wednesday night to fill the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts with some color, culture, and music in the Hispanic Music Festival’s final concert for the month-long celebration.
The free concert was held on Oct. 12, and was a collaboration between three local ensembles: The Pittsburg High School Choir, Jopara Ensemble, and the Pittsburg Hispanic Banda. They brought performers of all ages for a celebration of unity, music, and heritage.
Attendees filled almost every seat in the hall, while informational tables lined up in the lobby as attendees entered the venue.
The chorus was directed by Susan Laushman, a vocal teacher at Pittsburg High School; Dr. Ramiro Miranda, an assistant professor at PSU’s Music Department, and the director of Jopara; and Isaac Hernandez directing the Pittsburg Hispanic Banda. All three of these directors are graduates of Pitt’s music program as well.
The Jopara ensemble featured Miranda on violin, Dr. Alejandro Avila on piano, Irene Diaz Gill on cello, and Aleia Gonzalez on the guitar. Combined with the large multigenerational choir and the Banda, the performance was able to blend folk, contemporary, and classical music that showed the diversity of Hispanic music traditions.
“This has been an authentic way to dive into culture,” Karla Burns, Miss Kansas 2025 said, addressing the audience before the concert began. “Today we will experience what the power of music can do. I see the beauty of sharing who we are.”
Burns’ speech imitated the evening’s message: Sharing. She talked about the importance of sharing tradition, music, food, and stories, while also talking about the pride and resilience of the Hispanic community.
“Being Hispanic today means standing on the shoulders of those who came before us,” Burns said. “It means that our roots don’t hold us down; they ground us. We remind the world that unity is recognizing that we are stronger together.”
“This festival has shown us that music connects us all,” Burns said in her closing statement. “And when we share who we are, we make our community stronger.”
“This concert is a perfect example of what can happen when a community comes together to celebrate culture,” Frida Herrara, a co-director of the Hispanic Heritage Month, said. “It’s about celebrating who we are and where we come from through the universal language of music.”
“The combination of all three groups on one stage was so powerful,” said Tyne Ellis, a student majoring in social work who attended the concert. “It was a lot more packed than I thought it would be, but it was a really good performance.”
The night marked a culmination of a month both on and off campus to celebrate Hispanic culture.