Musician Fernando Herrera will host a tribute concert commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy on Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. in Thiry Auditorium.

On Nov. 21, 1963, Herrera performed for President Kennedy in Houston on the evening before the president’s assassination in Dallas. Struck by the president’s death, Herrera composed “A New Frontier,” which he performed at an invitation-only concert at Our Lady of the Lake College on Nov. 21, 1965. The piece was recognized in a personal note of gratitude from Jacqueline Kennedy.

As the U.S. marks the 50th anniversary of the loss of President Kennedy, Herrera will perform his tribute piece to the late president and other pieces from his repertoire.

A San Antonio native, Herrera honed his skills under the tutelage of Sister Elaine Gentemann, CDP, at then Our Lady of the Lake College. In addition to classical piano, Herrera studied the flamenco guitar and developed his signature “tremolino” technique, which reproduces the flamenco guitar’s tremolo on piano. This technique opened doors for him to many opportunities, most notably a concert at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York and two appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Herrera has continued to charm audiences for nearly 80 years.

He is scheduled to perform a tribute concert to President Kennedy in Houston on Nov. 21, 2013, and he is also being featured in the National Geographic documentary, “JFK: The Final Hours,” marking 50 years since his most memorable performance. Portions of the documentary were filmed in Thiry Auditorium.

There is a suggested donation of $25 for admission. OLLU students are free with valid student ID.

For more information, contact John Sanchez at 210-431-5591 or jdsanchez@ollusa.edu.