Uniondale Library celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

The Uniondale Library held a series of Hispanic Heritage Month programs last Saturday, to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and to bring the community together.

“It’s important to represent the people of our community and celebrate them,” Amanda Borgia, the library’s head of teen services, said.

David Podles, a renowned violinist from Latvia, performed in the afternoon, drawing a large crowd of kids and adults. He played 15 songs in total, from folk medleys to ballads, all from different countries, and shared information about each piece’s country of origin, its composer and the style of music.

Argentina, Podles explained, is known for the tango, a well-known rhythmic music style that has variations among composers but has a common time signature and repeated musical patterns. He played “Adiós Muchachos,” by famed Argentine composer Julio César Sanders, to demonstrate the typical style.

The Dominican Republic is known for its fast-paced merengue music, Podles told the crowd. Merengue is traditionally played with a unique rhythmic pattern called quintillo, five notes played across four beats. Podles played the first recorded merengue from 1906, composed by Luis Alberti.

Salsa music is popular in Venezuela, Podles said. Salsa is a combination of many Latin, African and Caribbean music styles, and Podles played the popular Venezuelan piece “Moliendo Café,” composed by Hugo Blanco.

He closed his set with music from the United States — Jennifer Lopez’s “Si Ya Se Acabó.” He played the familiar tune on his as an encore after a long round of applause and cheers.

Sylvia Piper, a social worker, said she was happy to spend a day off at the concert.

“He was excellent,” Piper said of Podles. “I learned a lot about the different countries, the music and what they stand for.”

“I was impressed by the fact that some little countries, like Nicaragua and Panama, have impressive music,” Knesia Slotska, another attendee, said. “I enjoyed every note.”

In the morning, Andrés Gallardo, from Bilingual Birdies, a bilingual education program for children 6 and younger, visited the library for an interactive musical storytime. Gallardo and the kids sang songs and played with shakers and scarves as he taught them English and Spanish.

Later in the afternoon, the Junior Friends, a teen volunteer program headed by Borgia, offered their own Hispanic Heritage celebration, which they do every year. They decorated the library’s media room with flags and banners to represent different Latin American countries. They also had a table of food and drinks, with different kinds of empanadas in the middle.

Carlos Pavan, an Argentine guitarist and composer, visited the library to play some of his songs. He performed a variety of pieces for a large group of children and adults who gathered for the show, including milonga, another traditional Argentinean music style, and a lullaby he wrote for his nephew 13 years ago. He shared his passion for his culture with the audience and implored them to “never forget your heritage.”

Hispanic Heritage Month is a celebration of Hispanic history and culture in the United States that begins on Sept. 15, to commemorate the independence days of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, as well as Mexico’s, on Sept. 16, and Chile’s, on Sept. 18. President Ronald Reagan expanded the commemoration into a month-long celebration in 1988, 20 years after President Lyndon B. Johnson designated the first Hispanic Heritage Week.

“Hispanic heritage is a part of a lot of people’s heritage,” Corie Mason, 15, president of the Junior Friends, said. “It’s good to be able to celebrate it every year.”