The program incorporates young veterans of Ruiz Belvis’ Afro-Caribbean Jazz and Afro-Latin Percussion apprenticeships (ages 19-24) with guest appearances by the city’s top local and touring Latin music talent. Through a dynamic performance schedule participants engage in the business of musical performance, learning to leverage their talents and exposure.
Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center (SRBCC) is the longest-standing Latino cultural center in Chicago.
Established in 1971, it was named in honor of Segundo Ruiz Belvis, a Puerto Rican patriot and member of a secret abolitionist society that freed slave children under Spanish rule. In that spirit, SRBCC realizes its mission to preserve and promote appreciation of the culture and arts of Puerto Rico and Latin America, with a focus on its African heritage.
La Cantera
SRBCC’s Afro-Caribbean Jazz performance ensemble for youth (ages 19-24). The program was born in 2018 and is known for incorporating young veterans of Ruiz Belvis’ Afro-Caribbean Jazz and Afro-Latin Percussion apprenticeships with guest appearances by the city’s top local and touring Latin music talent.
Professional Artists
SRBCC’s vision for the future and plans to cement its legacy to BIPOC communities are based on constantly building and nurturing strategic partnerships that support the expansion of programs directly benefiting professional artists of color, creative youth, their families and their communities. This manifests itself through a model of regular residencies, subsidized performances, co-productions, free rehearsal space, and recording opportunities that highlight original work by local professional artists from the community.
Artist Residency
Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center houses touring artists committed to working with local artists and community members in Hermosa and other underserved communities in Chicago. Many of the visiting artists that participate in SRBCC’s programs stay at our two on-site apartments for artists
Funders & Supporters
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