Dirén Checa: Mexican Violinist and First Prize Winner of the Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition

Garrett: Next time you’ll have to play some fiddle tunes for us. That would be lovely. In addition to performing, you’ve also harnessed the power of music to act as a catalyst for social change. Tell us about some of the special projects you’ve taken on.

Dirén: The first one was “Música que Sana” (“Music that Heals”) an online charity recital in partnership with ABC Hospital’s Foundation to raise money for COVID-19 treatments. I gathered 17 other Mexican soloists and musicians and we all recorded a piece from our home for the hour-long recital. News media supported us, we did a good job with social media and had a good turnout! You can find the recital on YouTube with almost 16K views.

Garrett: Wow, congratulations. I’ve included the concert below for our audience to watch.