SAN ANTONIO – The non-profit, Conjunto Heritage Taller, is mourning the loss of a long-time instructor and friend, Lorenzo Martínez.
Martínez passed away Saturday, October 17, due to health complications. Weeks after his death, his family and friends are expressing their love and respect for the musician through a community altar.
Martínez was an established musician who dedicated two days out of the week to teach students of all ages the magic and skill behind the accordion and conjunto music.
“He leaves an impact also as a recording artist,” Valeria Alderete said. Alderete is the program and marketing assistant for the Taller. “He has some music that was recorded. He performed throughout the community and throughout the city and was even invited to perform in some universities in Tennessee.”
Martínez had a large following in San Antonio however, due to COVID-19, his colleagues, students and friends in the music scene have not been able to pay their final respects.
“This is our way of paying tribute to somebody who has played such an instrumental role and made such huge contributions to the music,” Alderete said. “This is a really, really important reminder that we should be checking in with our loved ones, especially our elders, because this is a really hard time for them.”
Staff and volunteers of the organization came together Saturday morning to build an outdoor altar visitors can reflect upon as they drive through alongside the San Antonio Mennonite Church, off of Eagleland Drive.
“It’s special for us to be able to do something like this, regardless of the climate of the world right now,” Aaron Salinas said. Salinas is an instructor at Conjunto Heritage Taller but his journey in music started years ago. “I started when I was eight-years-old. Now I’m 26 and back teaching and Lorenzo Martínez was my instructor.”
As volunteers built the altar, Salinas played some tunes on the bajo sexto with one of Martinez’s youngest students, Joaquin Linn.
Linn started taking accordion lessons from Martínez at the Taller when he was only seven-years-old.
“He taught me a lot of songs,” Linn said. “What I loved about him is (that) I could actually talk to him, like, as a person and not just about the accordion.”
At 14 years-old, Linn admits it’s still hard to wrap his head around the fact that he will never see his maestro, or teacher, again. “I can’t really explain it, but it just doesn’t feel like it’s real,” Linn said. “It feels like he’s still here.”
Soon, Martínez’s soul will be back visiting the church that served as his classroom for more than 17 years, as his altar is completed in time for Día de Muertos on November 2.
The outdoor drive-thru altar will be on display beginning Sunday, November 1 through November 15. Visitors are asked to wear a mask if they’d like to bring a small momento or offering to honor Martínez.
To learn more about Martínez and instructors from Conjunto Heritage Taller, click here.
For more information on the lessons offered at Conjunto Heritage Taller, visit its website here.
RELATED: Chef Johnny Hernandez on why Day of the Dead is an important Mexican tradition