Dominican University will kick off on Friday, September 16 a two-month, community-wide Big Read program with a performance by Sones de Mexico Ensemble. The concert, which will be presented at 7 p.m. in Dominican’s Performing Arts Center, 7900 W. Division Street, is just the first of a wide range of activities surrounding Luis Alberto Urrea’s book, Into the Beautiful North. Collaborating in the National Endowment for the Arts-funded Big Read program are Berwyn Public Library, Dominican University, Forest Park Public Library, Maywood Public Library, Oak Park Public Library and River Forest Public Library, each of which will host events throughout the two-month program. Sones de Mexico Ensemble will introduce the Big Read program with a musical journey of regional Mexican folk songs and instruments. Founded in 1994, Sones de Mexico is dedicated to celebrating the roots of diverse Mexican musical traditions such as huapango, son jarocho, chilango, tapatio and many more. Admission to the concert is free. For more information about the Big Read, visit the website at oppl.org/nea. For more information about the concert by Sones de Mexico or the lecture by Luis Alberto Urrea, visit Dominican University’s Arts & Minds website at events.dom.edu.