Chelsea High School musicians will share the stage with Boston Landmarks Orchestra on Friday, October 2, when the orchestra brings a free Hispanic Heritage Month concert to the school auditorium at 299 Everett Avenue. The performance starts at 7 p.m. Admission is free, but registration is required through Eventbrite, which also lists doors at 6:30 p.m., free parking and an all-ages audience.

Music Director Christopher Wilkins will conduct, and students from the Chelsea High School Orchestra, directed by Ali You, will perform “side-by-side” with the orchestra, according to the orchestra's event page. Food and refreshments will be served after the concert.

What's on the program

Among the works listed are Arturo Márquez's Danzón No. 2, Louis Moreau Gottschalk's Souvenir de Porto Rico, and two pieces from Aaron Copland's Three Latin-American Sketches, Paisaje Mexicana and Danza de Jalisco. Music by Mozart, Respighi, Leroy Anderson and Britten/Rossini rounds out the evening. This is presented as a partial lineup, with a digital program to come, so the final selections could differ.

A Meet Boston listing of the concert says the evening brings professional musicians and Chelsea High students together to celebrate Hispanic and Latin American cultural traditions. In it, Wilkins is quoted saying the collaboration gives young musicians the chance to “share the stage with professional artists” and feel part of a larger musical community.

A familiar partnership

Chelsea students were also part of the orchestra's plans for last year's Hispanic Heritage Month concert. According to a Chelsea Record notice published ahead of that show, the October 9, 2025 program at the high school was set to feature Puerto Rican saxophonist and composer Edmar Colón and to include Lauren Bernofsky's Heart of Fire, performed with Chelsea High students.

About the orchestra

The same notice says Boston Landmarks Orchestra was founded in 2001 and has made the Hatch Memorial Shell its principal home since 2007. On its Who We Are page, the orchestra says every one of its concerts is free to attend and that almost every concert involves at least one community partner.

Hispanic Heritage Month

The concert falls within the annual national observance that runs from September 15 to October 15. The federal Hispanic Heritage Month site describes it as a tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have influenced and enriched the country.

If you go

When: Friday, October 2, at 7 p.m. (doors at 6:30 p.m.)

Where: Chelsea High School Auditorium, 299 Everett Avenue

Cost: Free, with registration required

Also: Free parking, all ages, and food and refreshments after the concert

Attendees agree to be photographed or filmed and allow their likeness to be used in the orchestra's promotional materials.