Artístas y Músicos Latino Americanos (AMLA), formerly the Asociación de Músicos Latino Americanos, is a non-profit arts and artists’ organization founded in 1982 in North Philadelphia, with a mission to promote, develop, and increase understanding of Latin American music and culture throughout Philadelphia and the surrounding area. AMLA was founded by a coalition of 125 Hispanic musicians, who wanted to counter the general misrepresentation of Hispanic culture and to advocate for better working conditions for artists and musicians in the community.
AMLA quickly developed a strong emphasis on youth talent development through music education. The School of Latin Music was created to develop artists and musicians and provide presentations and festivals for the community, and became known for its specialized “Roots of Puerto Rican Jazz” workshops. This local success earned the organization national recognition including the national “Growing Up Taller” award (1997) for providing high quality programming to at risk youth. AMLA also won Latin Beat magazine’s Siempre Salsa Special Recognition Award (2005) for extraordinary work in the field of Latino music education.
In 2006, founder Jesse Bermudez reached out to the Reverend Luis Cortés Jr, President of Esperanza to forge a strategic partnership with AMLA. This relationship resulted in the creation of a new organization that drew upon the mission, vision, and history of AMLA, and the organization was relocated to the Hunting Park neighborhood of Philadelphia. It is a subsidiary corporation of Esperanza with its own distinct board, leadership and control of operations and has received both financial and in-kind support from Esperanza. The relationship demonstrates the power of strategic partnerships within a challenging economy to preserve and flourish services that address critical needs for Philadelphia’s residents and communities.
Since 2006, AMLA has annually provided services to nearly 1,930 children, youth and adults of all ages in Hunting Park through private and group music education courses. AMLA has hosted concerts that bring in accomplished Hispanic artists, and has been featured in shows at the Kimmel Center and Philadelphia Art Museum. We have also expanded the impact of our arts-in-education program to reach a broad range of schools. Approximately 4,000 individuals and families attend our annual summer festival. AMLA’s three annual (3) festivals within the Hunting Park neighborhood have drawn community members, artists and local politicians, including State Senator Christine Tartaglione, Representative Tony Payton and District Attorney Seth Williams, resulting in valuable recognition for the organization amongst community leaders and stakeholders. In January 2010, Lucas Rivera, a community artist, performer and educator, took over the role of Executive Director of AMLA.
AMLA strives to raise the caliber of artistic excellence in the development of performing artists. AMLA has granted exposure and opportunity to many who would not otherwise have access to enriching opportunities to the arts. In the next phase of our development, we’ll move from the simpler approach of music exposure to including an emphasis on music theory, technique, and preparation for future academic study and careers as artists. AMLA is also laying the groundwork for performances that engage a greater number of non-Hispanic constituents and diverse neighborhoods within the city of Philadelphia, while increasing literacy and knowledge of Latin jazz within Hunting Park. AMLA stands positioned as a strong agency with expanding relationships and clear vision for the future.
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Artístas y Músicos Latino Americanos (AMLA)