The Last Songs of My Mother and Tonton is a deeply personal, immersive performance created by Celeste Landeros, Ph.D., a faculty member at Barry University. It will be presented at 4:00 pm on January 29, 2026, at Barry University’s Gato Gallery, blending music, memory, and storytelling to honor two elders who shaped Landeros’s life and Miami’s cultural landscape.

The piece centers on 90-year-old Jean Fraser, Landeros’s mother and a retired Miami-Dade public school teacher, and Catelus “Tonton” Laguerre, an 82-year-old master Haitian percussionist and cultural icon. In their final months, both lived under the same roof, cared for by Landeros and her family. What unfolds onstage is not simply a performance, but a ritual of remembrance rooted in caregiving, cultural exchange, and love.

Influenced by opera, carnival traditions, and community storytelling, Landeros describes the work as an exploration of legacy and identity. A classically trained soprano and longtime arts journalist, she draws directly from lived experience. “Having these two elders in the house at the end of their lives—as they became ancestors—was a really powerful experience that I wanted to share,” she said.

The production traces the intertwined final year of Fraser and Laguerre’s lives. Fraser, who lived with Alzheimer’s, spent more than two decades serving Miami’s public schools. Laguerre, a founding member of Haiti’s National Folklore Troupe, was a revered figure in Little Haiti for over 40 years, known for sacred and social rhythms such as rara and yanvalou. Displaced by housing instability, he found sanctuary in the Landeros home, where Irish lullabies, Haitian drums, shared meals, and daily caregiving coexisted.

The cast brings this intergenerational household to life, with Landeros appearing as herself, guiding the piece through narration, music, and memory. Wesner “Ti Wes” Saint Louis portrays

Laguerre, honoring a man he knew personally and deeply respected. “To step into his story onstage feels like paying tribute to a part of myself, too,” Saint Louis shared.

Designed by Damian Rojo, the set transforms everyday household objects into sacred symbols of remembrance. Musically, the work weaves Haitian, Irish, Scottish, and Cuban traditions, inviting audiences to participate through clapping, singing, and call-and-response.

“It’s all about the music,” Landeros reflects. “That’s how we remember. That’s how we resist.”

This performance is made possible through the generosity of Board of Trustee Chair, Heather J. Rohan, FACHE.

Reserve your spot today for this unique performance: www.barry.edu/musical