The YMF Center for Music and Creative Technologies (CMCT) grand opening celebration held earlier this month was a fantastic success! The day featured musical performances from across genres and cultures throughout the day, food vendors, family activities, and class demonstrations, culminating to an extraordinary day of community building and connection.

Students and participants from YMF organizational partners Street Poets, A Place Called Home, Maqueos Music, Homeboy Art Academy, and Street Symphony; YMF friends Joyce Kwon, Jorge Yuka Vallejo, Larry Guerrero Harvey, and Tony Sauza; as well as musicians from our own student ensemble, Los South Central Players, all performed. YMF Teaching Artists Eloy Adame, Hugo Tomas, LaVette Allen, Mackenzie Azela, Adrian Boluarte, Joe Calderon, Marley Eder, Martin Flores, Pablo Mendez Granadino, and Pablo Leñero performed with each other, students, and their professional ensembles. Even YMF Board Members Jamey Lamanna and Skip Sussman joined the lineup, performing Motown hits with a group rounded out by YMF Teaching Artists and staff members. And a very special thank you to our friend Vijay Gupta for a transcendent solo performance at the Paul Williams Community Room venue!

“We envision the YMF Center as a vital community resource for interdisciplinary arts, and community power-building that will provide our Historic South Central communities equal access to the arts through tuition-free music and media arts classes, and economic opportunity through creative career pathways programs and workforce development,” explained YMF Executive Director Walter Zooi.

After such a warm welcome with community partners, students, Board members, Teaching Artists, staff, and most of all, community members, we’re excited for what’s to come – the future of CMCT is bright!