Trombonist, composer, and arranger Papo Vázquez, visited Esperanza Academy and held a workshop for music students on Thursday, Jan. 19 at the middle school drama room.

The workshop consisted on a Q&A session where Vazquez shared part of his biography and students got the chance to ask him questions on a one-on-one basis. He reiterated his passion for mentoring young talent and empowering young artists from the Northeast area. Vazquez, was born in Philadelphia but spent his younger years in Puerto Rico. He later moved back to the U.S. and lived in the heart of North Philadelphia’s Puerto Rican community. At the age of 15, Vázquez began performing with local latin bands in Philadelphia.

Vazquez thanked Esperanza for the opportunity to host the workshop. “Thank you so much for having us back, it’s a mighty blessing to be back here at Esperanza. We love the building and the students, it’s a marvelous program,” Papo Vazquez said. He also arranged an impromptu exercise where the students interpreted a contemporary song by pop band One Direction with a latin infused rhythm.

Finally, Vazquez shared some of his experiences traveling around the world as a musician playing with well renown artists such as Celia Cruz, The Fania All-Stars, Willie Colón, Tito Puente, Hector La Voe, Slide Hampton and more.