A ViM STORY—Pedrito Martinez and SCAN

On Saturday, May 13, world-renowned Cuban percussionist Pedrito Martinez will perform with his band at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington. The performance is coordinated in part by SCAN (Spanish-language Community Advisory Network)—a partnership between VIM and the Mahaiwe.

SCAN ambassadors advise on inclusive programming, and they reduce barriers for members of the Latinx communities to attend performances, films, and events and – over time – join staff and board in shaping the Mahaiwe. It is one of the ways in which VIM advocates for new pathways to equity for our patients. 

SCAN is co-chaired by VIM’s Patient Services Manager Natalia DeRuzzio and Mahaiwe Advancement officer Melissa Canavan, and is funded in part by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and Lee Bank.

Ambassadors Paola Alta, Marina Dominguez, Deisy Escobar, Fredy Hernández, Diana Lotero, Liliana Ortiz-Bermudez, Gladis Rave, Marco Soasti, Vladimir Soasti, and Marcela Urrea—many of them part of VIM’s team!—are paid for their expertise and skills, meeting multiple times a year to discuss programming, outreach, promotion, feedback, and recruitment.

Since its formation, SCAN advisors have helped organize free Spanish-language film screenings and live performances at the Mahaiwe and throughout the Berkshires—like the upcoming Pedrito Martinez show.

Your ticket sales directly support SCAN—and this is a show not to miss! A virtuoso in the percussion world with his own line of instruments, Pedrito Martinez has recorded or performed with Paul Simon, Wynton Marsalis, Paquito D’Rivera, Bruce Springsteen, Ruben Blades, Eddie Palmieri, Dave Matthews, and Sting, and contributed to over 75 albums.

“Pedrito Martínez… es una fuente de deleite rítmico e inspiración… un intérprete incomparable… una superestrella de la música tradicional afrocubana” – The New York Times

See you at the Mahaiwe on May 13!