Enrico Lopez-Yañez. Photo by Dokk Savage Photography
Featuring vocalists Ender Thomas and Jackie Mendez and instrumentalists José Sibaja on trumpet, Luisito Quintero on percussion, and Brian Czach on drums.
This BSO Pops concert was a tribute to the increasing popularity of Latin music in the 1990s, leading up to the music phenomenon where Latin artists dominated the US mainstream music charts. Known as the “Latin Explosion,” this development was spearheaded by Ricky Martin’s performance of his megahit, “Livin’ La Vida Loca” (“The Crazy Life”), at the 1999 Grammy Awards. Other popular artists, such as Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, Gloria Estefan, Carlos Santana, and Enrique Iglesias, achieved massive crossover success, marking a cultural shift in American pop music. This unprecedented dominance of Latin music also resulted in the establishment of the Latin Grammy Awards.
…outstanding, innovative program.
Maestro Lopez, wearing a deep red jacket and celebrating his birthday, introduced the featured performers and encouraged the audience members to clap, wave, sing along, and dance in the aisles. We quickly learned that he is much more than a conductor. He and Mr. Sibaja arranged all the evening’s music for symphonic performance and added depth and power to the beloved original recordings. He and the instrumentalists also provided background vocals for the soloists. At several points in the program, he held a mic in one hand and a baton in the other, so he could simultaneously sing and conduct. He has collaborated with, and composed for, many well-known artists and developed educational concerts.
The featured performers sang solos and duets in both Spanish and English. Jackie Mason’s energy was boundless, as she danced and sang with a powerful, expressive “belt” voice, always encouraging audience participation. She wore a series of absolutely gorgeous, sexy dresses replete with sparkles and sequins, all different in styles and colors. My favorite was the asymmetrical, side-slit ruffle gown which reminded me of former Latin stars of movie musicals.
Venezuelan vocalist Ender Thomas, in contrast, wore all black the entire evening with oversized pants, shirt, and leg chains that allowed him to move constantly back and forth across the stage while performing. With his silver gray, shoulder-length hair, he had a more modern performing style with a clear falsetto.
Costa Rican trumpet virtuoso, Jose Sibaja, played two different types of trumpets. He saluted his mother’s 85th birthday and told us she never liked the sound of a trumpet. His laid-back and amusing expressions added some comedy to the evening. The power of his playing, amazing breath control, and range of expression, with intricate fingering, added “fire” to his solos.
Venezuelan percussionist, Luisito Quintero, provided rhythm and soul to every number. With over 60 Grammy awards to his name, he added a touch of jazz to the Latin music as he played a set of large conga drums by hand and snare drums with stick. He sometimes played both at the same time, with each hand beating a different rhythm. He also used smaller percussive instruments, such as the wood block and cow bell.
In addition to the many hits of the artists mentioned above, it was nice to hear symphonic versions of older Latin music, most notably the songs of the “Queen of Salsa,” Celia Cruz, who dominated Latin music for several decades before the Latin explosion of the 90s. I also enjoyed hearing “Guantanamera,” recorded by many artists over the years since it was first heard on the radio in 1929. The 1958 hit, “Tequila,” by The Champs, recalled the sharp saxophone solo followed by the audience shouting the title with each repetition. Also Included in the program was a sing-along with four audience volunteers holding cue cards with Spanish lyrics. The 1992 hit, “Macarena,” by Los Del Rio, encouraged dancing in the aisles as Maestro Lopez demonstrated the hand and foot movements.
As I left the Meyerhoff Hall, I remembered one of the first annual Baltimore City Fairs at Rash Field in the 1970s. Abbe Lane sang with the “Rumba King,” Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra, in a program of Latin-American music. The BSO brought me up-to-date with this outstanding, innovative program.
Running Time: Two hours and 10 minutes, including one 20-minute intermission.
“La Vida Loca” was performed on February 20, 2026, at The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD 20852 and on February 21-22, 2026, at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral Street, Baltimore MD 21201. For more information and to purchase tickets for future events, please call the Box Office in Baltimore at 410-783-8000 or in North Bethesda at 877-276-1444 Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday/Sunday from 12 noon-5 p.m., or go online. The Box Office is also open for one hour before each performance and through intermission for walk-up sales.
