{"id":17,"date":"2025-10-06T22:57:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T20:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicoftheamericasfestival.org\/?page_id=17"},"modified":"2025-11-19T18:18:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T17:18:14","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/musicoftheamericasfestival.org\/index.php\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Leadership<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

President: Gonzalo Maluenda<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Gonzalo is a Chilean-born music enthusiast who has been playing music since he was 15, with a special love for folk music from both North and Latin America. He has lived in the United States for over 30 years and enjoys learning from people of different cultures. Gonzalo values unity and inclusion, regardless of background, and currently serves as an HR Director for a company in the Lexington area. He believes that the Music of the Americas Festival Corporation, by creating free, family-oriented concerts in the Kentucky and Ohio area, \u201cwill bring a sense of unity to our community and appreciation for other cultures \u2014 all expressed through the beautiful simplicity of music and dance.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Secretary: Andrew Sund<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Andrew is a strong believer in the value of cultural diversity. Through his life he has lived in Latin-America, Africa, and the United States. He has had a successful academic career as a professor and administrator, including the presidency of two universities. His education includes degrees in Philosophy, History and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy. However, he has always been passionate about music. Particularly, he loves learning about culturally representative music. As he approaches retirement, he welcomes the opportunity to spend more time on his passions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Treasurer: Sheryl Sorterup<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sherrie Sorterup is a combination of Scottish Canadian and Danish New Englander. Raised in Connecticut, she has been singing and playing instruments since elementary school. Sherrie\u2019s passion for music and different cultures has led her to many musical genres and activities, but when she began learning Latin dance, she knew she had finally found her passion. She knows no culture whose music and dance does not light a fire in her. For her, nothing can be more beautiful than being able to bring together different types of music from across our country and our world and sharing it freely with our community. Sherrie is currently an English teacher to immigrant children from all over the world at a school in Northern Kentucky and wants nothing less than joy, peace, and a happiness for everyone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

About Us<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • The organization is guided by a board of caring, community-minded individuals who bring deep experience in education, human relations, and music. Their commitment to nurturing people and culture shapes every aspect of MAFCo\u2019s work. In its operations, MAFCo also fosters collaboration by partnering with local nonprofits\u2014such as youth music education programs or media training organizations\u2014giving them meaningful roles in the festival, from performing on stage to supporting technical production.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    \n

    Organizational Values<\/h1>\n\n\n\n


    Cultural Awareness & Exchange<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Emphasizing the rich musical traditions of North, Central, South America, and the Caribbean<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Encouraging understanding of different countries\u2019 histories, customs, and arts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Education & Engagement<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Festivals are not just performances, but interactive, with MCs sharing facts, Q&A, games<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Goal is deeper learning, not passive entertainment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Inclusivity & Accessibility<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Free public admission, family-friendly, alcohol-free, open to all<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Collaboration with nonprofits to broaden participation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
          \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
          \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
          \n
          \n
          \n

          Community Empowerment & Partnership<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          • Enabling others to showcase their work<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Building community ties via cultural events\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
            \n
            \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

            <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Leadership President: Gonzalo Maluenda Gonzalo is a Chilean-born music enthusiast who has been playing music since he was 15, with a special love for folk music from both North and Latin America. He has lived in the United States for over 30 years and enjoys learning from people of different cultures. Gonzalo values unity and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-17","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"campaignId":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicoftheamericasfestival.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicoftheamericasfestival.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicoftheamericasfestival.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicoftheamericasfestival.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicoftheamericasfestival.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/musicoftheamericasfestival.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":285,"href":"https:\/\/musicoftheamericasfestival.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17\/revisions\/285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicoftheamericasfestival.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}