Saxophonist Edmar Colón.

Students from the Boston Music Project perform in a previous Stringfest.

Ten years ago, the Guy Mendilow Ensemble, a Ladino musical group, performed with students from two Roxbury-based organizations: the Boston Citywide String Ensemble and City Strings United at Hibernian Hall. The eclectic and surprisingly cohesive sound of instruments played with differing levels of musical abilities in the Judeo-Spanish tradition marked the first Stringfest produced by the Neighborhood Arts team of Celebrity Series of Boston. Now in its 11th year, Stringfest is back.

This year’s show features Puerto Rican saxophonist Edmar Colón with students from the Boston Music Project, City Strings United and Project STEP at the Kroc Center in Dorchester on Dec. 13 at 3 p.m.

Throughout its history Stringfest has undergone multiple iterations. Robin Baker, associate director of community engagement at Celebrity Series of Boston, said the first Stringfest wasn’t even named Stringfest; that came later. The series began as an organic idea that morphed into a decades-long partnership between professional musicians and local students. In turn, the performances introduced students to global music traditions.

“I thought Stringfest would be a way for students who are studying classical training to hear what their instruments sound like in a world music setting like bluegrass, or Celtic music or Puerto Rican music. And for them to get a taste of world culture through their instruments, broaden their cultural knowledge and [honor their] heritage if they belong to that ethnic group,” Baker said.

This year’s performance features jazz interpretations of the Puerto Rican folk songs “Verde Luz” and “En Mi Viejo San Juan.” Both songs are arranged by Javier Caballero, Project STEP’s former artistic director, and will be performed with students from all three ensembles and the Edmar Colón Ensemble. The show opens with each student ensemble performing its own selections.

A Project STEP trio of two cellos and a bass will perform Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek.” Boston Music Project’s Soon Hee Newbold orchestra from the Josiah Quincy School will perform songs like “Golden” from the movie “KPop Demon Hunters.” City Strings United will perform five short selections including “Pirates of the Caribbean” by Hans Zimmer. A performance by the Edmar Colón Ensemble and the collaborative finale of Puerto Rican folk songs will follow.

This balance of collaborative acts and ensemble-highlighting performances has always been part of the Stringfest ethos. Prior to COVID-19, there were neighborhood specific Stringfests in Roxbury, Dorchester and the South End. Recently, Stringfest streamlined into two productions a year in accessible venues such as the Kroc Center and Roxbury Community College. These venues were selected because they are in the same communities where many of the students live. For Bithyah Israel, the founder of City Strings United and the series’ longest neighborhood partner, Stringfest is special.

“There’s a lot of pride. When students are able to perform in such special events that are well curated and well cared for it really speaks volumes to the students and parents. Something of this caliber is really special, even for beginners. I mean, that’s when you can see a positive trajectory for yourself when you get a taste of professionalism so early in your musical career as a student. That’s powerful,” Israel said.

Chris Schroeder, Boston Music Project’s executive director, echoed Israel’s sentiments.

“Performances like Stringfest are creating this intrinsic motivation for a child to want to dig in and play a beautiful sound and develop the skills and techniques to take them to the next stage of their artistic development.”

Élider DiPaula, the new executive director of Project STEP, said the practice time and focus students need to prepare for Stringfest and other performance opportunities can improve certain executive functioning skills. “They have to think thoroughly, which is something that we’ve been missing a little bit because of the urgency of information. You have to learn everything; you have to know everything. I think music is a good discipline. It helps kids focus, shape their attention span and be thorough and accountable for what they do.”

Colón, who is an award-winning saxophonist, orchestral composer and Berklee College of Music professor, meets with each student ensemble once before the performance. While Colón is accustomed to collaborating with artists like drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and Wayne Shorter [the late jazz saxophonist and composer], working with children ages three to 18 provided a different and insightful experience for the musician.

“I’m thrilled to play with all the ensembles because there’s something magical about all of them,” he said. “You know they’re very young, but there’s this sense of discovery. They’re discovering their instruments. They’re discovering the music. You can feel this sizzling. You can hear the excitement.”

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Editor’s Note: The author is a member of the board of directors for City Strings United.