When Rosalia Met the CSO Roadshow

By Tim Miner

Rosalia Torres-Weiner

“I want people to feel excited and welcome when they see the work, and my hope is that they will feel like they are living as a part of a larger symphony community.” – Rosalia Torres-Weiner

40-FOOT MOBILE SYMPHONY STAGE UNVEILED WITH ORIGINAL DESIGN BY CHARLOTTE “ARTIVIST”

Neighborhoods across Mecklenburg County, get ready – the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is coming for you right where you live.

Last week, the CSO and City of Charlotte cut the ribbon on “CSO Roadshow,” a new 40-foot mobile stage that sits 25-30 Charlotte Symphony musicians.

“[CSO Roadshow] enables us to meet people where they are, break down barriers, celebrate the work of local artists and performers, and make live orchestral music accessible for all community members,” said David Fisk, Charlotte Symphony president and CEO.

CSO Roadshow with a design by Rosalia Torres-Weiner | CREDIT: Charlotte Symphony Orchestra

Tailoring Cultural Experiences for Local Audiences

Funded in part by the city through the American Rescue Plan Act, CSO Roadshow is designed to travel to neighborhoods across the Charlotte and Mecklenburg County area. With this new asset, the Symphony aims to create experiences tailored specifically to the tastes and preferences of the people and communities in which they perform.

The mobile stage will also be available for other arts organizations to rent and use at community events. In fact, the Roadshow’s first public use will not be a Symphony performance, but rather the Great West Side Fish Fry, produced at the West Complex on Beatties Ford Road on Saturday, April 27. MORE.

The following day, Sunday, April 28, the Symphony will hold its inaugural performance of CSORoadshow at a collaborative event with the Latin American Coalition. MORE.

[AWAITING QUOTE FROM PRIYA SIRCAR.]

Cutting the ribbon on the CSO Roadshow on April 18
CREDIT: David Flower, City of Charlotte

One Artform Supporting Another

One of the most striking aspects of CSO Roadshow is the vibrant design that wraps its exterior. The stage is adorned in gorgeous new, visual art designed by self-proclaimed Charlotte “ARTisvist,” Rosalia Torres-Weiner.

Charlotte Is Creative, publishers of The Biscuit, worked with the Symphony to manage the call for submissions and the review process that identified Torres-Weiner and assisted in finalizing her design – a work she calls “Road to Joy.”

To learn more about her background and inspiration for this new work, we reached out to Torres-Weiner for the inside scoop on her creative process:

How long have you been in Charlotte?

I moved to Charlotte (from Santa Barbara) in 1996. Charlotte was a very different city back then, much smaller and less developed with a small creative scene. We didn’t have the sports, entertainment, and retail spaces that exist today. The creative scene has really blossomed over the past 30 years, and today I feel that we have a vibrant creative community with a wide variety of artists, organizations, and patrons.

How did you get into art? And, what has kept you going?

I started painting murals for my kids when they were little. That led to me painting murals for their friends … and then friends of friends. Soon enough, I was running a successful interior art business. In 2008, when the housing crisis hit, I transitioned to public art. In 2012, I moved to a studio in NoDa and began working in canvas and other mediums. My Latino community has always been an inspiration for my work that has kept me going.

How do you draw inspiration for your work?

I draw inspiration from my Mexican heritage and the great muralists of Mexico, as well as the modern-day stories of the Latino community and the triumphs that we have achieved and the hardships that we have endured.

Why was the Symphony project important to you?

My grandfather was a symphony conductor in Mexico City and gave each of his grandchildren an instrument to master. I was given a flute and I have it to this day.

Music has always been a critical part of my life and my artistic practice; I could not create without music. When I learned about the Symphony Project, I was so excited. This project was a creative way for me to reconnect with the spirit of my grandfather and to be a part of something that he loved so much.

What themes did you put into your work for the Symphony?

It was important for me to represent community, and the transformational experience of classical music. Vibrant colors were also something that I felt needed to represent the expressive nature of music. I also wanted the mural to have a futuristic feel, to show that classical music is timeless.

What’s next for you? Any gossip on a cool, new project you’re taking on in 2024?

Scheduled a trip to Chicago to talk to an arts institution there about my work as an ‘Artivist.’ I am also focused on learning more digital art techniques, as many of my projects these days are digital. I am also excited to get my Red Calaca Mobile Art Studio back out in the community to do some art-making and mobile gallery tours. Maybe I could use it to do a collaboration with the CSO Mobile tour.

CSO Roadshow Creative Team
CREDIT: Charlotte Symphony Orchestra