It was the meeting party for Ricardo Rico and his two daughters. One of them vibrated to Preshow's music while Rico was carrying his youngest in his arms. The family of three people arrived from Montebello to see their favorite artist at the top of the inaugural show in the new place of Pomona.
On March 7, the cathedral opened its doors to the community for the first time with a free concert. The first closing set of the place belonged to a native of the city, Alejandro Aranda, also known as Scarypoolparty. The hero of the hometown became famous after having conquered the hearts of America with his guitar skills and his arrival as a finalist of the 17th season of “American Idol”.
Spectators take a break from the lawn in front of the cathedral.
(Etienne Laurent / for time)
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1 and 1 Public members interact during a concert. 2 The singer of Ramona Jesus Guerrero performs in the middle of the public. 3 and 3 The public members react during a concert at the cathedral.
The high energy performance of Aranda – full of hard riffs, melodic voices and electric lighting – helped consolidate the presence of Pomona in the world of music.
With The Haven, The Glasshouse and The Fox Theater, the cathedral is now the fourth music place in downtown Pomona within a radius of three blocks. Its inclusion cements the suburbs of the County of Los Angeles as a musical destination with stages large enough to host the most famous acts in the world.
Ray Adamyk, president and chief executive officer of the cathedral, captured the aesthetics of the artistic scene of Pomona and personified it in the architecture of the place. Rounded colored windows, chandeliers in the middle of the century and a huge LED screen come together to create a space where the interior empire can share the religious experience of seeing favorite artists occur.
“(Pomona) certainly a destination for music and the arts,” said Adamyk. “You have one of the oldest colonies of art around …”
A solid technician listens to a group rehearsal before a concert.
(Etienne Laurent / for time)
The cathedral is located inside the Union on Garey, a newly renovated building which previously housed the YMCA in Pomona. The Georgian Renewal Style Building served men, women and children in the community from 1922 to 2012 when it closed, according to Socal Hands.
“(This building) is (one of the) national historic monuments … in America,” said Adamyk. “I just looked at him and it was dilapidated. No one had been there for 13 years. ”
Adamyk's company, Spectra Co., has exercised its skills in the restoration and preservation of historic buildings to relaunch the union on Garey Building, which now houses local businesses, including the Pawnshop Skate Co., the Next Level hairdressing cuts, Good To Go Cafe and the Cathedral.
The Syndicat on Garey continues the inheritance of the YMCA, even with a completely new look. Galo Galvan, the director of the cathedral, made sure to let the community know that he is there to serve them when he shouted: “It is your cathedral” just before Aranda was on stage.
“Pomona is very close to me,” said Galvan. “The glass house, the music scene is where my heart is.”
Galvan does not see cathedral as a competitor of other local sites. His goal is to create a feeling of synergy with The Glasshouse and The Fox Theater. He wants to show the other sites that the cathedral can serve any group he wishes to bring to Pomona.
As responsible for booking the place, Galvan plans the cathedral as an incubator for artists. “This is a platform for them,” said Galvan. “Someone who loves music, who wants to get involved, build these brands.”
Galvan opened the door to collaboration with other sites; He previously worked at Fox Theater and is friends with the owners of The Glasshouse. He hopes that the cathedral can serve as an alternative to artists who may not sell enough tickets to fill the fox, or for artists who have exceeded small sites.
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1 and 1 Pomona's main concert halls are Fox Theater, The Glass House and Haven. (Etienne Laurent / for time)
“(The owner of The Glasshouse) actually built this scene for me,” said Galvan, while showing the main scene of the cathedral. “This genre illustrates the relationship we have and gives a tone, you know? He's there to help. I'm grateful.”
The cathedral will be occupied with music shows from Thursday to Sunday, according to Galvan. His concern is how they will remain active during downtime.
Cinema evening at the cathedral, perhaps. Open microphones organized by Pomona's winning poet, perhaps. Galvan and the cathedral crew are open to anything.
“Our staff are quite creative in this way,” said Galvan.
Spectators queue to access the cathedral.
(Etienne Laurent / for time)
The inaugural show took place on a rainy Friday evening, too cold for people to go out. However, Pomona and the surrounding cities came to support a local musician.
Aranda put Pomona on the map with her success on “American Idol”. Now the city does the same for its flourishing music scene.
For more information on the shows to come, visit the Cathedral website.
