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Casa Azul celebrates 15 years of celebrating and sharing Latino arts and culture

Lorena Guillén Tango Ensemble in concert at the Jan VanDyke Performing Space on the UNCG campus.
Courtesy Lorena Guillén Tango Ensemble
Lorena Guillén Tango Ensemble in concert at the Jan VanDyke Performing Space on the UNCG campus.

This weekend, Casa Azul celebrates its 15th year of sustaining Latinx and Latin American arts and culture in the Triad. The organization began as a way to bring people together and create a sense of community in Greensboro.

Casa Azul curates exhibitions, musical performances, workshops and more, showcasing Latino artists. On Sunday, organizers will pay tribute to past participants, volunteers and the community they helped form during the nonprofit’s Quinceañera Year celebration. Coordinator of Operations Gissele Hernandez Cruz says their events create an environment that allows people with no knowledge of Latino culture to step out of their comfort zones and learn more.

“For example, our Noches Latinas event — we begin with a class,” says Hernandez Cruz. “That can be salsa, that can be merengue, and everybody is welcome. You don't need to know the dance moves. We have that class that provides you with that. We do artist talks for artists to share the understanding of their art, and for the public to ask questions.”

community altar
Javier Sanchez
A Casa Azul community altar from the 2025 Día de Muertos celebration.

This weekend’s celebration is Música Para Todos (music for everyone) featuring a performance by Lorena Guillén Tango Ensemble and others. They’ll be joined by UNC Greensboro’s Sinfonia, Weaver Academy Strings and others. The concert begins at 3 p.m. on the UNCG campus and is open to the public.

Before his arrival in the Triad, David had already established himself as a fixture in the Austin, Texas arts scene as a radio host for Classical 89.5 KMFA. During his tenure there, he produced and hosted hundreds of programs including Mind Your Music, The Basics and T.G.I.F. Thank Goodness, It's Familiar, which each won international awards in the Fine Arts Radio Competition. As a radio journalist with 88.5 WFDD, his features have been recognized by the Associated Press, Public Radio News Directors Inc., Catholic Academy of Communication Professionals, and Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas. David has written and produced national stories for NPR, KUSC and CPRN in Los Angeles and conducted interviews for Minnesota Public Radio's Weekend America.