INTEMPO and Orchestra Lumos Present a Connecticut Premiere by Javier Farías: A Celebration of Immigrant Resilience Through Music

Stamford, CT (February 3, 2025) – On February 22 and 23, INTEMPO, in collaboration with Orchestra Lumos, will present the Connecticut premiere of Where We Belong, a powerful composition by acclaimed Chilean composer Javier Farías. This evocative multimedia work captures the essence of the immigrant experience through music and the voices of young people. Originally commissioned by INTEMPO in 2022, the piece was funded by PlayUSA, a program of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. Scored for two string quartets, charangos, and guitars, Where We Belong also features a documentary of students in the Stamford Public Schools’ New Arrivals program. It will be performed by a mixed ensemble of INTEMPO students and Orchestra Lumos musicians at Stamford’s historic Palace Theatre, the longest running arts presenter in Fairfield County, as part of Lumos’ Music of Memory and Reconciliation concerts. 

“As a Stamford-based music education nonprofit, INTEMPO is deeply honored to premiere Where We Belong in our home town,” said Lou Chen, Chief Executive Officer of INTEMPO. “The experiences reflected in this composition are not only deeply personal for many of our students and our community’s young people, but also universally resonant. It’s a privilege to bring Javier Farías’ piece to life with such an extraordinary group of student and professional musicians.”

“INTEMPO is one of our fantastic PlayUSA partners, a dynamic music organization supporting immigrant populations in Stamford, Connecticut,” said Joanna Massey, Director of Carnegie Hall’s Learning & Engagement Programs. “A few years back, in the midst of the pandemic, we invited our PlayUSA partners to capture the ways in which their young people were reacting to the crisis through new creative work. Where We Belong is the result of INTEMPO’s diligent and thoughtful work with its students and composer Javier Farías, a piece that beautifully reflects the young people in Stamford’s vibrant community. We’re thrilled that INTEMPO will have the chance to share the resulting work with its local audience.”

Where We Belong premiered in 2022 for a private audience in Carnegie Hall’s Judith and Burton Resnick Education Wing. Performing this piece alongside INTEMPO students was the multiple GRAMMY-nominated PUBLIQuartet. 

Hosted by composer/performer Gabriel Kahane, Lumos’ Music of Memory and Reconciliation concerts will weave a personal narrative inspired by his family’s escape from Europe during World War II, featuring his father Jeffrey Kahane performing Gabriel’s piano concerto, Heirloom, a tribute to their shared legacy and the enduring power of music to heal and inspire.

“I’m excited to celebrate our immigrant community through that most unifying and uplifting of mediums, music,” said Chen. Tickets start at $25 and are available now by clicking HERE or by visiting orchestralumos.org. 

Concert Details

Saturday, February 22 at 7:30 PM 

Sunday, February 23 at 3:00 PM 

The Palace Theater, 61 Atlantic Street, Stamford, CT

About INTEMPO

Founded in 2011, INTEMPO provides high-quality music education to children predominantly from immigrant backgrounds and from communities underrepresented in the arts. Our mission is to engage, educate, and enrich the lives of children by making classical and intercultural music relevant, accessible, and inclusive, and to help close the achievement gap by developing their musical, social-emotional, and interpersonal skills. We reach 800 children annually, ages 2 to 18.

About Orchestra Lumos

Formerly known as Stamford Symphony, we are expanding in multiple dimensions, bringing more of the music you love throughout Fairfield County. Our mission is to present exceptional musical experiences, from awe-inspiring concerts with world-renowned soloists to family-friendly programs that captivate all ages. We’re also expanding our reach with intimate performances in smaller spaces, hands-on education programs, and community presentations across Fairfield County. While our home base is The Palace Theatre in Stamford, you can also experience our music in venues from Greenwich to Bridgeport, including local libraries, schools, museums, breweries, places of worship, and community centers.

About Javier Farías

Chilean-American composer Javier Farías has won First Prize in the Andrés Segovia Composition Competition, the International Composing Competition «2 Agosto,» and the Michele Pittaluga Composition Competition. In 2014, he was honored with Harvard University’s Fromm Music Foundation Prize for a double guitar concerto composed for Sérgio and Odair Assad and the YOA Orchestra of the Americas. His compositions have premiered in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Instituto Cervantes in New York City, Tsuda Hall in Japan, Meistersaal in Berlin, Troy Music Hall, and the Organization of American States. His guitar compositions have been included in the repertoire of prestigious conservatories, including the Conservatoire de Paris, Yale University, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.