The Fundación Ismael Rivera is holding “Así Suena Maelo 2026,” a free, all-day celebration marking 95 years since the birth of salsa singer Ismael Rivera, at Casa Maelo in Villa Palmeras, Santurce, with bomba, salsa and live music running until 9 p.m. Sunday, El Nuevo Día reported.
The program at the Casa Museo Ismael Rivera, the house where the singer known as the Sonero Mayor lived with his mother, Margot, began at 10 a.m. and is open to the public at no cost. The foundation said the museum would stay open all day. “If you haven’t visited the space, we invite you to visit us this Sunday,” it said in the announcement El Nuevo Día published.
The afternoon schedule
Rafy Villegas leads a salsa dance workshop from 1 to 2 p.m., sponsored by the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. Guided tours of Casa Maelo and Doña Margot’s home follow from 2 to 2:45 p.m.
Alejandro Fundora Sabalier and Edrimael Delgado Reyes teach an open bomba dance class from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m., followed by an open bombazo from 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. Organizers invited participants to bring a barrel drum, a maraca and a skirt, Ey Boricua reported, citing the Spanish news agency EFE.
The concerts
Music in the batey, the house’s open-air gathering space, starts with Alzérreca from 5:15 to 6 p.m., followed by Fabiola Muñoz and her quartet from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Derek Novah y Los Skokiaan’s close the day from 8 to 9 p.m. in a set the foundation billed as a tribute from the Sonero Mayor’s nephew to his uncle.
The morning program included a presentation of a project to digitize Rivera’s family collection, led by Archivo Negro and Revista étnica, the event’s main sponsors; “26 Ecuajeyss,” a story anthology by Universidad del Sagrado Corazón creative writing students; and art workshops led by Joudy Santaliz of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo’s MAC Educa program.
The house on Calle Calma
Rivera was born in Santurce in 1931 and rose to fame in the 1950s as the lead singer of Rafael Cortijo’s combo, which brought bomba and plena into popular dance music. He died in 1987. The foundation has described the house as a place where his family archive, the history of Calle Calma and Afro-Puerto Rican musical heritage meet, according to El Nuevo Día.
Organizers said the event links the preservation of the family archive with artistic creation, education and community participation, Ey Boricua reported.
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Sources: El Nuevo Día; Ey Boricua (EFE).
