This is the conclusion of the the two-volume Cuatro Project video documentary that covers the cultural and musical history of the iconic traditional instruments native to Puerto Rico.

NUESTRO CUATRO: A Historic Concert, summarizes the perennial and sentiment-filled adventures of Puerto Ricans around the world with their small cuatro, linked for four centuries to their history and culture. The documentary is a moving celebration of the music and personalities inseparably tied to the iconic instrument. The documentary includes conversations with retired elder players; with the renown modern stars of the instrument, who have carried what was once a rude and rustic folk instrument into the greatest theatres and concert halls of the world; with the most prominent makers of the cuatro on the Island; with the young women cuatristas who are opening a breach into what was once a overwhelmingly male province; with the emerging crop of brilliant and sparkling young players who are taking the instrument into unexpected places and genres and who are currently forging a new repertory based on the traditional forms.

The entire work NUESTRO CUATRO is composed of two documentaries comprising 12 chapters, is now complete with the following 5 chapters of Volume 2, which summarizes the modern scene:

Prologue: El Teatro Puerto Rico
Jíbaro music in New York
Summarizes the rise and decay of the legendary Teatro Puerto Rico in New York City during the decades of 1950 and 1060--a celebration of nostalgia and patriotism that lasts twenty years, enjoyed by multitudes of "nyoricans" cheering their local and visiting musicians and keeping alive their traditions, just as these were fading on the Island.

 Chapter 8: El Cuatro y la Nueva Trova
The Cuatro and the New Song Movement
Tells us why the traditional music and instruments were reborn into the mainstream on the island during the decade of the 70s, as Puerto Ricans find a new passion for their native expressions. It was a time when college students and young people rediscovered the old musical traditions, and brought them anew into the present--but this time as a banner of protest against colonialism and the war in Viet Nam.

Chapter 9: Los Grandes Maestros
The Great Maestros
Conversations with the cuatro's Old Guard, the legendary national treasures who inspired the current generation of musicians. The chapter includes visits with Nieves Quintero, Nicanor Zayas, Yomo Toro, Tuto Feliciano, Roque Navarro and Maso Rivera--the last three passing away before the documentary was completed.

 Chapter 10: Los Artesanos
The Artisans
Visits with two of the most prominent cuatro makers in Puerto Rico, Jaime Alicea and Vicente Valentín, who guide us through the process of making their instruments in their own shops, and who explain the special bond they keep with the instrument and its traditions.

 Chapter 11: Desde la Orquesta Jíbara a la Orquesta Sinfónica
From the Jibaro Orchestra to the Symphony Orchestra
An inspiring musical parade that features the cuatro in its many modalities: in the traditional jíbaro orchestra playing 19th century salon music in the Puerto Rican countryside; on stage, an electric cuatro playing pop favorites in an enormous theatre in Chicago; in a jazz ensemble; a young virtuoso playing classical works in the Romantic Style written by Paganini before a 55-member symphony orchestra; a duo composed of a conservatory guitar master accompanying an international reknown cuatrista playing a tango by Astor Piazolla; another master duo playing Brazilian Bossa Nova; two young stars playing an Indie Rock piece in a cuatro-maker's shop; and more.

 Chapter 12: La Nueva Época de Oro
The New Golden Age
A new generation of young cuatristas emerge, each one carrying the baton given to them by the ancient and past generation of cuatro masters; or who acquired their skill within the proliferating cuatro schools and community orchestras spread across the Island and in the United States. The cuatro, originally a rude and rustic folk instrument made by untutored country folk on this small Caribbean island, now belongs to the world.

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