Wisconsin Life

Milwaukee is a wonderful city. And we're very fortunate to be here. Our group name is Renacer or "rebirth" in Spanish. The music is very upbeat. It's all Latin music and it's all sung in Spanish.

singing in Spanish

I was born and raised in Milwaukee. And I was born just a few blocks from this community center.

Latin American-style guitar music

I taught at the Milwaukee Public Schools, in particular, Pulaski High School, for 32 years and I loved my job. I retired in 2004. When I first retired, I thought, well, my father was a musician. I should, perhaps, play my father's guitars. So I got a hold of Alberto Cardenas. And he said he could give me music classes. I had never played a musical instrument in my life. So this was brand new for me.

Latin American-style guitar music

My father came to Milwaukee from Mexico in the early 1920s. He was 14 years old, orphaned. He was also a musician at a young age with his guitars. He played with numerous groups in Milwaukee. I have albums that belonged to my father and mother, such as Trio Los Panchos or Eydie Gorme. She was very popular in those days. This is the type of music that our group Renacer is playing for concerts. It started with just Alberto and myself, but now it's shared by many. I would have never imagined that this would have started here, but this was Alberto's idea. We're very fortunate that we have a wonderful, Spanish-speaking director who knows the music very well. And it takes a lot of practice, but he has a very special way of teaching the beginners. When they play here at the senior center, he sees the seniors. And he sees that they're interested and they love music. The building is physically located in the Latin American Community on the south side of Milwaukee. Our singers and our guitarists are from a variety of different Latin American countries.

tamborine jingling

So we sing music from Cuba and Puerto Rico and Mexico and Guatemala and El Salvador. Basically, all of the Latin American countries. I play a guitar, a classical guitar. I think what was so difficult for me were all of these strums. But with practice... we learn.

uptempo Latin American-style music

I think it's very important that you know your roots, where you came from. That's for all ethnic groups, whether you're German, Italian, Polish. Whatever it might be. I measure success by all of our smiles. We know that they enjoy the music. They have been handed down from generation to generation. I feel lots of love and emotion. And I think of my mother and father. So it's all part of our family's history and that's why I just love it.

ending note of song fades out