ART AROUND OUR VENUE

Lucecita Benítez was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Her career began during the era of the “New Wave” or Nueva Ola of music in Puerto Rico, as a member of the television show Club del Clan, where she both performed and sang. Her first hit song, “Un lugar para los dos,” was released in 1964, marking the beginning of a long and fruitful musical career. In 1969, she won the Festival de la Canción Latina (Festival of the Latin Song) in Mexico. With one of the most successful careers in Puerto Rico’s artistic history, Lucecita Benítez has evolved from the “Queen of Youth” in the 1960s to one of the island’s most important national voices.

Raúl Juliá was a Puerto Rican actor who fell in love with theater and film as a child. He moved to New York City in 1965 to pursue his dream of becoming an actor and earned his first Tony Award nomination in 1972—the first of four nominations throughout his career. Despite his many accomplishments in theater, he is best remembered for his work in film, including Kiss of the Spider Woman and The Addams Family.

Víctor Guillermo "Yomo" Toro was a Puerto Rican left-handed guitarist and cuatro player, internationally known as "The King of the Cuatro." Toro recorded over 150 albums throughout a 60-year career and collaborated extensively with Cuban legends Arsenio Rodríguez and Alfonso "El Panameño" Joseph; salsa icons Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe, and Rubén Blades; as well as artists from other genres, including Frankie Cutlass, Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt, and David Byrne.