ESMS to host music series

Egleston Square Main Street (ESMS) will host a music series this summer after being one of five Main Street districts receiving a total of $22,500 in grant money, according to a press release. Main Street is a business-promotion organization.

The grant money is from the Boston Main Streets Foundation.

“We’re very excited about the grant. The music series would not be able to happen without it and it’s affording us an opportunity to activate a crucial node of our neighborhood in a way that everyone can benefit from it,” said ESMS executive director Luis Edgardo Cotto in an email to the Gazette.

The series will take place at the Egleston Square Peace Garden, which was originally designed by students at the Greater Egleston Community High School and has a mural that memorializes those who lost their lives to violence on the streets of Boston. The former abandoned lot was part of a community-wide effort in 2002 that involved ESMS, the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation and other community groups and businesses.

“Our hope is to work with local musicians whose music reflect the diverse ethnicities of the neighborhood,” said Cotto. “The series will take place the second Saturday of every month in the summer (June, July, August and September).”

He said ESMS hopes to work with local spoken-word artists to start the events with open mics and that everyone will be invited to participate. Cotto said also ESMS will be partnering with JP Porchfest for the music series.

“I’m currently in the process of reaching out to musicians and look forward to having the series all set within the month,” he said.

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