Ricardo Rico and his two daughters are on a date night. When Rico’s arms were young, one of them was like pre-sale music. The family of three drove from Montebello to see their favorite artist perform for the first time on a new venue in Pomona.
On March 7, the cathedral opened its doors to the community through a free concert for the first time. The first closing ceremony of the venue belongs to city native Alejandro Aranda, also known as the Scarypoolparty. This hometown hero conquered the heart of the United States with his guitar skills and became the runner-up of “American Idol” Season 17.
The concert took a break on the lawn in front of the cathedral.
(Etienne Laurent / The Times)
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1. Listeners interact in concert. 2. Ramona singer Jesus Guerrero performed among the audience. 3. The audience responded at a concert in the cathedral.
Aranda’s high-energy performances – filled with hard riffs, melodious vocals and lights – helped solidify Pomona’s presence in the music industry.
Along with the Haven, the Greenhouse and the Fox Theatre, the Cathedral is now the fourth music venue in downtown Pomona, within a three-block radius. Its inclusiveness solidifies the suburbs of Los Angeles County as a music destination with a large enough stage to host the world’s most famous act.
Ray Adamyk, president and CEO of the Cathedral, captures the aesthetics of the Pomona art world and anthropomorphizes it in the site architecture. Round stained windows, medieval chandeliers and a huge LED screen create a space where the Inland Empire can share the religious experience of seeing favorite artists perform.
“[Pomona’s] Definitely a destination for music and art,” Adamyk said. “You are one of the oldest art colonies around. ”
A sound technician listens to the band’s rehearsal before the concert.
(Etienne Laurent / The Times)
The cathedral is located within the Alliance of Garey, a newly built building that was formerly the home of the YMCA in Pomona. According to the time of its closing in 1922 to 2012, Georgian Revival-style architecture served men, women and children in the community. SoCal Landmarks.
“[That building] yes [one of] In the United States, the National Historic Landmark… in the United States. No one stayed there for 13 years. ”
Adamyk’s company Spectra Co. has the skills to restore and preserve historical buildings to restore the union of Garey Building, which is now home to local businesses including Pawnshop Skate Co., the next-level barber, cuts the barber shop, and is good for both Go Cafe and Castedral.
Garey’s alliance continues the YMCA’s legacy, even with a brand new look. The cathedral manager Galo Galvan made sure to let the community know that before Aranda came to power he yelled “This is your cathedral.”
“Pomona is really close to me,” Galwan said. “The music industry is my heart.”
Galvan did not see the cathedral as a competitor to other local venues. His goal is to create a sense of synergy with Glasshouse and Fox Theatre. He wanted to show other places that the cathedral could serve the bands they wanted to bring to Pomona.
As the site’s booking manager, Galvan envisions the cathedral as an incubator for artists. “This is their platform,” Galwan said. “People who love music and want to be involved, let’s build those brands.”
Galvan opened the door to working with other venues. He previously worked at the Fox Theatre and was friends with the owner of the greenhouse. He hopes the cathedral can be an alternative to artists who may not sell enough tickets to fill the fox, or for artists who have exceeded smaller venues.
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1. Pomona’s main concert venues are Fox Theatre, Glass House and Haven. (Etienne Laurent / The Times)
“[The owner of the Glasshouse] In fact, he built this stage for me,” Calvin said, pointing out the main stage of the cathedral: “This embodies our relationship and sets a tone, you know? He is here to help. I appreciate it. ”
According to Galwan, the cathedral will be busy with musical performances from Thursday to Sunday. What he was worried about was how they stay active during downtime.
Maybe on the Cathedral’s Movie Night. Perhaps it was an open microphone hosted by Pomona’s poet winner. The Cathedral’s Galvan and crew are open to anything.
“Our staff are very creative,” Galwan said.
Singers lined up to enter the cathedral.
(Etienne Laurent / The Times)
The first show was held on Friday night and it was too cold for people to come out. However, Pomona and surrounding cities come to support native musicians.
Aranda successfully placed Pomona on American Idol. Now, the city is doing the same for its thriving music industry.
For more information on the upcoming performance, visit Cathedral website.
