The New York Times: 24 Hours in Santurce

A woman invites me in to get a closer look at the rehearsal. Yabetza Vivas Irizarry, I soon find out, is a conductor at Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico, and the first woman to direct a show with the group. She tells me about how the orchestra blends classical sounds with traditional Puerto Rican styles and references. "Our holiday shows are some of our bestselling shows, where we create symphonic arrangements of local Christmas songs," Irizarry says. "All year round we do collaborations with local artists to merge classical instruments and the sounds of salsa, bomba, plena and aguinaldo, the traditional Christmas music."

Similar to the Cepeda family, Irizarry and the Orquesta Sinfónica know the importance of passing the traditional genres on to the next generation. The group plays for free in open-air plazas across the Island. "In the past we've had bomba dancers perform as well as danza dancers perform," she says. Danza is a style of dance associated with Puerto Rico's Spanish European heritage. "There are groups in Puerto Rico that dedicate their lives to maintaining these traditions, so we invite them to perform with our orchestra."

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