{"id":106486,"date":"2026-03-12T11:05:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T16:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=106486"},"modified":"2026-03-23T14:13:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T19:13:03","slug":"an-orchestra-reborn-how-chicago-the-cuatro-and-a-car-crash-reinvigorated-orlando-riveras-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/an-orchestra-reborn-how-chicago-the-cuatro-and-a-car-crash-reinvigorated-orlando-riveras-career\/","title":{"rendered":"An\u00a0orchestra\u00a0reborn: How Chicago, the\u00a0cuatro\u00a0and a car crash reinvigorated\u00a0Orlando Rivera\u2019s\u00a0career\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Mallory Evans<\/strong><\/p>\n

Medill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n

As the auditorium lights dim, some 20 orchestral musicians pick up their various stringed instruments and begin to play lively tunes including <\/span>Puerto Rico\u2019s national anthem, \u201cLa\u00a0Borinque\u00f1a.\u201d\u00a0The\u00a0dream of creating\u00a0this\u00a0orchestra\u00a0has been\u00a0a long\u00a0time\u00a0coming.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In\u00a0December,\u00a067-year-old Orlando Rivera\u00a0will\u00a0celebrate 30 years as the\u00a0executive\u00a0director and co-founder of\u00a0<\/span>the Chicago Cuatro Orchestra<\/span><\/a>. Based in Humboldt Park, this nonprofit organization offers free classes for anyone to learn the cuatro \u2014 Puerto Rico\u2019s national stringed instrument \u2014 along with the guitar, tiple (a small guitar) and Latin percussion.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a teenager in Puerto Rico, Rivera would climb to the roof of his house and sit there for hours, looking\u00a0at\u00a0the\u00a0horizon.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI asked, \u2018What is behind that mountain?\u2019\u201d Rivera said. \u201cI was always dreaming. I think\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0one of the things that kept me moving forward in everything I\u00a0did.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The
The Chicago Cuatro Orchestra performs a holiday concert in Humboldt Park. (Photo courtesy of Sonia Repoll and Mike Parra\/CHICAGO CUATRO ORCHESTRA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rivera moved to Chicago\u00a036 years\u00a0ago\u00a0for graduate school and remained in the city, though he treasured his upbringing in\u00a0Orocovis\u00a0and Cayey, towns in central Puerto Rico. His eyes lit up while recounting his childhood, a time when he was often\u00a0surrounded by\u00a0more than\u00a0two dozen aunts and uncles.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandparents, my uncles, my aunts\u00a0\u2014\u00a0I had so much love,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was the best thing that has ever happened to me.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His family\u00a0members\u00a0worked from sunrise to sunset, ate dinner\u00a0together\u00a0and then walked\u00a0a\u00a0half-mile\u00a0to collect water for the house.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSome people today call it poor, but I call it rich, because I learned to live with just nature,\u201d Rivera said. \u201cAnd I was very happy.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rivera\u2019s father played the\u00a0guitar\u00a0and his grandfather played the\u00a0smaller tiple,\u00a0which Rivera said is\u00a0the\u00a0\u201cgrandfather\u201d of the cuatro. The modern wooden cuatro\u00a0usually\u00a0has five double strings\u00a0and, depending on the register,\u00a0can sound like both a guitar and\u00a0a mandolin. It\u00a0dates\u00a0back to\u00a016th century\u00a0Puerto Rico\u00a0and\u00a0Venezuela, evolving\u00a0<\/span>from four to five strings in the late 19th century<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to easily create more harmonies and\u00a0melodies, Rivera said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While\u00a0his\u00a0father\u00a0wanted him to earn a degree in a more practical subject,\u00a0Rivera\u00a0spent more time in the music department than studying for his business degree at the\u00a0University of Puerto Rico. He decided to fully embrace music by transferring to\u00a0Interamerican University\u00a0of Puerto Rico\u00a0in\u00a0San Juan.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rivera had been playing the double bass for years, and he soon began\u00a0teaching\u00a0other students at the university. Then<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0a graduate student\u00a0introduced Rivera\u00a0to\u00a0a professor\u00a0from the\u00a0Conservatory\u00a0of\u00a0Music\u00a0of\u00a0Puerto Rico,\u00a0Manuel\u00a0Verdeguer, and Rivera\u00a0completely \u201cfell in love\u201d with classical music\u00a0based on\u00a0Verdeguer\u2019s\u00a0own passion for the double bass, he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone called him \u2018El Maestro,\u2019\u201d Rivera said. \u201cYou go to Colombia, Mexico \u2026\u00a0everywhere you go, and you say, \u2018El Maestro,\u2019 everyone knows you\u2019re talking about Manuel\u00a0Verdeguer.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>his world-renowned double bass player taught Rivera everything he knew, which eventually earned him a place at the conservatory. Rivera was \u201cso hungry to learn\u201d that it only took him four years to complete his bachelor\u2019s degree instead of six. \u201cEl Maestro\u201d even paid the remaining $200 for Rivera\u2019s final semester\u2019s tuition without telling him.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c(Verdeguer)\u00a0was my second dad,\u201d Rivera said. \u201cHe guided and protected me.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While Rivera planned to pursue his master\u2019s degree in Chicago and return to Puerto Rico to teach at the Conservatory, he realized he\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0want to compete with his friends for\u00a0one\u00a0orchestra teaching\u00a0position. Shaking his head with a smile, he said Chicago\u00a0had been\u00a0too good\u00a0to\u00a0him\u00a0\u2014\u00a0from the city\u2019s\u00a0orderliness\u00a0and calmness to its endless supply of museums,\u00a0festivals\u00a0and concerts. He\u00a0grew up speaking Spanish\u00a0and\u00a0learned English when he arrived in the U.S.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After\u00a0completing his master\u2019s degree\u00a0in classical music at Chicago\u2019s\u00a0VanderCook\u00a0College of Music, he played in bands throughout the city whenever a double bass player was needed.\u00a0But one\u00a0drive home\u00a0after a performance\u00a0in 1995\u00a0completely altered\u00a0his life\u2019s trajectory.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI did not know that life was holding something for me<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0\u2026\u00a0But that was my\u00a0\u2018destino,\u2019\u00a0the will of God,\u201d Rivera said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Orlando
Orlando Rivera beams as he looks at pictures of the Chicago Cuatro Orchestra around his office at the Humboldt Park Fieldhouse on Jan. 8, 2026, including his 2007 \u201cdream team\u201d of musicians. (Mallory Evans\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rivera\u2019s sudden decision to change his route home to avoid traffic resulted in a drunken\u00a0driver hitting his car in an intersection,\u00a0crumpling\u00a0it into a \u201cball.\u201d Thankfully, a\u00a0bongo player\u00a0who played with him in the performance was\u00a0driving behind him rescued Rivera and salvaged his amplifier and\u00a0brand-new\u00a0white bass guitar.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With a broken hand, Rivera assumed he would never play music again.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But\u00a0several months later,\u00a0his younger brother David\u00a0Rivera\u00a0\u2014\u00a0who\u00a0had\u00a0moved to Chicago\u00a0even\u00a0before Rivera had\u00a0\u2014\u00a0handed him a cuatro and described\u00a0his\u00a0dream of starting a music program. Despite\u00a0Orlando\u00a0Rivera\u2019s doubts,\u00a0his brother\u00a0convinced him and, little by little, he regained movement in his hand by playing the stringed instrument. His doctor, astonished by his quick recovery, encouraged him to continue playing the cuatro as\u00a0therapy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomething negative changed my life for the better,\u201d Rivera said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rivera never intended to learn the cuatro;\u00a0he thought its music was too simple.\u00a0But his time recovering\u00a0led to a\u00a0change of tune.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

David\u00a0spoke to a producer and\u00a0arranged a practice location\u00a0at the Humboldt Park Fieldhouse. The\u00a0brothers began teaching classes\u00a0to children in the Humboldt Park\u00a0community, and\u00a0in 1996,\u00a0The Chicago Cuatro Orchestra was born.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to bring the Puerto Rican community together by starting it with my brother,\u201d David Rivera said. \u201cIt\u2019s a family thing \u2014 parents, grandparents, all together.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Orlando
Orlando Rivera plays the tiple, the \u201cgrandfather\u201d of the cuatro, on Jan. 8, 2026, at the Humboldt Park Fieldhouse. (Mallory Evans\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Orlando\u00a0Rivera picked up a tiple in his office and\u00a0demonstrated\u00a0its similarities to the cuatro, tuning it after playing a quick melody. Musicians of all levels can transition between the cuatro, tiple and\u00a0guitar, he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Orchestra members\u00a0teach\u00a0students\u00a0ranging from\u00a06 years old to\u00a0people\u00a0in their 60s.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe see our children respecting\u00a0the adults, and the adults respect the kids,\u201d Rivera said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cEveryone protects everybody; it\u2019s like a family.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On Jan. 7, Rivera and his team met to discuss the future of the orchestra. Despite financial hardships in 2025 due to\u00a0a\u00a0lack of grants and\u00a0funding\u00a0for instruments and concert venues, they were determined to stay afloat.\u00a0Since\u00a0Rivera sacrificed hours of sleep\u00a0by working\u00a0last year, he decided it may also be time for a new leader.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That person might be\u00a0John Rivera, a former student whose\u00a011-year-old\u00a0son now plays in the orchestra.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up, I\u00a0knew\u00a0the culture and music by hearing it from my dad, but I\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0know it then like I do now,\u201d\u00a0he\u00a0said. \u201cNow,\u00a0(my son)\u00a0can learn about his culture without his dad just telling him.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Orlando
Orlando Rivera, far left, plays on stage with the Chicago Cuatro Orchestra last year in Humboldt Park. (Photo courtesy of Sonia Repoll and Mike Parra\/CHICAGO CUATRO ORCHESTRA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Orlando Rivera\u00a0plans to organize a concert at\u00a0Mather High School\u00a0on\u00a0Dec. 5\u00a0to celebrate the orchestra\u2019s\u00a030th anniversary, with 10 to 15\u00a0other events throughout the year. His goal:\u00a0create a national cuatro orchestra festival.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy people are such a happy group of people,\u201d Rivera said. \u201cPut a bunch of Puerto Ricans together, and it\u2019s a\u00a0party.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mallory Evans is a magazine specialization\u00a0graduate student at Medill.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

LinkedIn:\u00a0<\/span><\/i>www.linkedin.com\/in\/mallory-evans-a49233231<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Mallory Evans Medill Reports As the auditorium lights dim, some 20 orchestral musicians pick up their various stringed instruments and begin to play lively tunes including Puerto Rico\u2019s national anthem, \u201cLa\u00a0Borinque\u00f1a.\u201d\u00a0The\u00a0dream of creating\u00a0this\u00a0orchestra\u00a0has been\u00a0a long\u00a0time\u00a0coming.\u00a0 In\u00a0December,\u00a067-year-old Orlando Rivera\u00a0will\u00a0celebrate 30 years as the\u00a0executive\u00a0director and co-founder of\u00a0the Chicago Cuatro Orchestra. Based in Humboldt Park, this nonprofit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1038,"featured_media":106487,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194,5061,5543,5544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","category-featured","category-msj26","category-winter-2026"],"yoast_head":"\nAn\u00a0orchestra\u00a0reborn: How Chicago, the\u00a0cuatro\u00a0and a car crash reinvigorated\u00a0Orlando Rivera\u2019s\u00a0career\u00a0 - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/an-orchestra-reborn-how-chicago-the-cuatro-and-a-car-crash-reinvigorated-orlando-riveras-career\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"An\u00a0orchestra\u00a0reborn: How Chicago, the\u00a0cuatro\u00a0and a car crash reinvigorated\u00a0Orlando Rivera\u2019s\u00a0career\u00a0 - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Mallory Evans Medill Reports As the auditorium lights dim, some 20 orchestral musicians pick up their various stringed instruments and begin to play lively tunes including Puerto Rico\u2019s national anthem, \u201cLa\u00a0Borinque\u00f1a.\u201d\u00a0The\u00a0dream of creating\u00a0this\u00a0orchestra\u00a0has been\u00a0a long\u00a0time\u00a0coming.\u00a0 In\u00a0December,\u00a067-year-old Orlando Rivera\u00a0will\u00a0celebrate 30 years as the\u00a0executive\u00a0director and co-founder of\u00a0the Chicago Cuatro Orchestra. 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