Berta Rojas‘ new album “Salsa Roja” was released last month, paying tribute to her beloved Latin America. But what makes this collection of music extra special is the collaboration with the Recycled Instruments Orchestra of Cateura — or Landfill Harmonic Orchestra — a 19-member ensemble comprised of children from Asunción, Paraguay who perform using instruments they have built from recycled trash. Berta is also working to design what she hopes will be the Cateura Music School, the town’s very first music school with real instruments.

In case you didn’t catch it, this heartwarming video is a backstage look at the project she was involved in, in her native Paraguay, with composer and conductor Edín Solís and the children of Loma San Jerónimo. Continue reading →