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Raíces Latin Music Collection at Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts

The Raíces Latin Music Collection is dedicated to the musical, cultural, and historical preservation of Latin music, particularly the forms rooted in Afro-Caribbean traditions, which encompass Salsa and Latin Jazz. Founded as a grassroots initiative in l979 by musician/educators Louis Bauzo, and Ramon Rodriguez, at Boys & Girls Harbor, Raices has since grown into an unprecedented multimedia collection of more than 19,000 items, making it the largest and most diverse collection in the country devoted to the evolution and impact of Latin music.

Presently located in East Harlem, the Collection is a Designated Official Project of Save America’s Treasures and an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. As an early-stage museum, Raíces is engaged in four distinct areas of programming: preservation and expansion of its Collection, public education and outreach such as concerts, exhibitions, symposiums and festivals, and capacity building for access by national audiences.

An important function of the Collection is as library for the Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts, which uses the scores, arrangements, and recordings held by Raices to instruct and mentor the next generation of Latin musicians.

Raices enthusiastically invites donations to support its preservation activities, and also of materials for preservation. Items of interest include: photographs, rare recordings, books and periodicals, sheet music, concert posters, instruments, and memorabilia. For information regarding material donations please call Oliver Hirsch, Collection Manager at 646/981-2713.

Hours
Monday - Friday, 11:00 am to 7:00 pm

Admission
Free

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