Episode 5.10 – Pablo Sainz-Villegas – Music Belongs to the Community

The Ghost Light Podcast (Utah Symphony | Utah Opera)

Just prior to the recording of the upcoming USUO: On Demand performance with the Utah Symphony, guitarist Pablo Sainz-Villegas joined the Ghost Light Podcast. In Pablo’s mind the guitar is an instrument that transcends borders. It’s “an expression of diversity.” From the Troubadour tradition to flamenco, blues, jazz, and bluegrass, and so many other genres, the guitar is a unifying instrument because of its versatility. School and community outreach are an important element of Pablo’s career and mission. “I do what I do because I believe and have experienced a better world through music in our lives. Music is a perfect vehicle to tell stories, transmit values, erase borders, celebrate diversity, and bring people together by sharing our emotions.” As a child of parents who were teachers, the concept of changing the world around in you in whatever way you can was a major theme in his youth. As a young guitarist he found joy in playing in venues such as nursing homes. “We have the opportunities as musicians to humanize settings that would ordinarily be harsh.” In 2006 Pablo Sáinz Villegas founded the philanthropic project “The legacy of music without borders.” Whose mission is to bring music to people as a mean to humanize their environment and promote understanding between different cultures. Thanks to this project he has shared his music with more than 32,000 children and youth in Spain, Mexico, and United States. “When I play in Tijuana or any other place in the world I share music the same way I would share it in a place like Carnegie Hall. To me there is no difference. Only the wrapping on the building.” Pablo brings his excitement about life to the musical stage, making him an audience favorite here in Utah and around the world. Listen to his interview here, and look for his performance with the Utah Symphony at USUO: On Demand.