New Cultural Nonprofit in State College Launches With Performance by 14-Piece Puerto Rican Ensemble

Satellite House, a new nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting culturally significant music and arts programming in State College, will officially launch with a performance by Puerto Rico’s El Laberinto del Coco on Monday, Oct. 12, at Manny’s Live Performance Space . 

Founded to build community support for international, underrepresented and experimental arts programming, Satellite House aims to create more opportunities for audiences in Central Pennsylvania to experience artists, traditions and creative work that might not otherwise reach the area. The organization will present events at venues and public spaces throughout the State College area while developing partnerships with local organizations and institutions, according to a news release.

Corey Elbin, founder and curator of the international music series Secret Planet and owner of Manny’s Live Performance Space, serves as founder and president of Satellite House. 

“I’ve seen through Secret Planet how much interest there is in State College for music and culture from around the world, but I’ve also seen how difficult it can be to make these performances financially possible in a community our size,” Elbin said. “Satellite House gives us a way to build broader community support around that work, create more opportunities for artists to come here, and make more of these experiences accessible to the whole community.” 

Satellite House’s first major presentation will bring El Laberinto del Coco, a 14-piece ensemble from Puerto Rico, to State College as part of Hispanic Heritage Month. 

Led by percussionist Héctor “Coco” Barez, El Laberinto del Coco draws from Afro-Puerto Rican musical traditions including bomba and plena, bringing those traditions into contemporary arrangements performed by a large ensemble. 

The performance at 7 p.m. on Monday represents the kind of project Satellite House was created to make possible. Bringing a touring ensemble of this size to State College requires significant artist, travel and lodging support, while giving audiences in Central Pennsylvania an opportunity to experience a large-scale Puerto Rican ensemble in their own community. 

Future plans for Satellite House include continued international and experimental arts programming, artist residencies, free outdoor concerts in State College and collaborations that connect visiting artists with the broader community.

As the organization grows, Satellite House also hopes to help extend this kind of programming beyond State College by building relationships with presenters and communities in other small and mid-sized cities and towns across Pennsylvania. 

Tickets for El Laberinto del Coco’s performance at Manny’s are $20 for general admission, $10 for students and can be purchased at mannysstatecollege.com. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m.