LaMotte and Guatemalan children to perform

Four young Guatemalan musicians will soon be visiting the Asheville area to perform, connect with other students and speak about their experience participating in a music program co-founded by two nonprofits based in Western North Carolina, PEG Partners and LEAF International.

The 6 p.m. Oct. 13 program at All Souls Cathedral’s Parish Hall (9 Swan St, Asheville) is being put on by David LaMotte of Black Mountain. A musician, author and PEG’s founder, LaMotte will introduce PEG director Sarah Bryan, music teacher Estefany Muñoz and music students Cinthia Morales, Cristina Morales and Sara Ramirez. The students, from El Tejar, Guatemala, have been studying in a music program co-founded by LaMotte’s nonprofit, PEG Partners.

A suggested donation of $20 covers the evening of Guatemalan music and the simple vegetarian meal of Guatemalan-style beans, rice, tortillas, avocado and more. RSVP at bitly.com/PEGEvent.

Guatemala is geographically closer to Asheville than California is, but in other ways, it is worlds away. Through the work of PEG Partners and LEAF International, children in Guatemala have more opportunities and possibilities. Hearing about these hopeful stories, those attending the Oct. 13 event will support the organizations’ work.

PEG Partners, founded in 2004, works with schools and libraries in Guatemala to support literacy, critical thought and artistic expression. In cooperation with LEAF International, PEG began the music program in El Tejar in 2007. It has been an extraordinary success, with several youth who have remained involved since the program began, and others who have won national music awards, and even gone on to study at the music conservatory in Guatemala City.