MARIACHI SOL DE MEXICO DE JOSE HERNANDEZ WITH VIKKI CARR
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10 AT 7:30PM
Los Angeles based Mariachi Sol de Mexico will perform in Austin, Texas at the Long Center for the Performing Arts next month. Sol de Mexico offers traditional mariachi sounds embellished with fresh contemporary passion and powerful new rhythms. The deep love and passion the ensemble members share for mariachi perfectly captures the spirit and artistry of their culture.
Sharing the stage will be special guest Vikki Carr, the Grammy Award-winning, Texas-born singer whose five-decade career spans 60 best-selling recordings and at least two continents. Her music embraces both English and Spanish, and she is among the first artists to have bridged the cultures of the United States and Latin America. The event is sure to be a very special musical evening made possible by community partners like Univision TV and the Hispanic Alliance for the Arts.
Members of Mariachi Sol de Mexico include Director: Jose Hernandez, Violins: Erick Hernandez, Fernando Moreno, Guadalupe Gonzalez, Gustavo Peña, Joaquin Rodriguez and Roberto Lopez; Trumpets: Jorge Contreras, Roberto Diazs; Vihuela: Antonio Zuniga, Guitar: Jesus Hernandez; Guitarron: Jorge Flores, Arpa: Guillermo Acuña.
For more information or to purchase tickets visit http://www.thelongcenter.org/mariachi_sol_de_mexico.aspx
Por Jonathan Clark 
Miguel Martínez
No puede negarse el hecho de que, a sus 89 años de edad, Miguel Martínez es el instrumentista de mayor trascendencia en toda la historia de la música de mariachi. No sólo marcó la pauta para la trompeta sola en el mariachi, sino que también definió y popularizó la modalidad de las dos trompetas dentro de este género musical. Además, es un distinguido y prolífico compositor de canciones populares y piezas instrumentales para mariachi. Pero, como dice el proverbio, «Nadie es profeta en su propia tierra». Hasta hace muy poco, los medios de comunicación mexicanos habían prácticamente ignorado a Martínez, a pesar de numerosos artículos y entrevistas que lo refieren en el extranjero. (Para dar un ejemplo, fue figura principal del reciente documental El Mariachi, por The History Channel.)
Continue reading ‘Guadalajara rindió tributo al patriarca de la trompeta mariachera’
The fabulous Vanessa (Cerda) Alonso is sharing her talents in Paris, France as part of the Houston Grand Opera’s cast from “To Cross the Face of the Moon.” The Houston native sings mariachi with the opera in 6 shows Sept. 16-28 at the Theatre du Chatlet along with the Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan and 7 other cast members representing the Houston Grand Opera.
Vanessa Alonso was selected by Mariachi Vargas as the “Best Mariachi Vocalist in the US” back in 1999 during the Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza in San Antonio when she was only 18 years old. Now, at 29, her voice is simply magnificent. Vanessa sings traditional mariachi in the opera, and sings so well, that the Houston Grand Opera (HGO) added to her roll. HGO asked Mariachi Vargas’ musical director, Jose “Pepe” Martinez, Sr., to write her an entire song that was added to the original opera that premiered in Houston at the Wortham Center, Brown Theater, last November.
Continue reading ‘Vanessa Alonso Performs in Paris’
By Jonathan Clark
Miguel Martinez
Few would dispute the fact that 89-year-old maestro Miguel Martínez is the most influential instrumentalist in the history of mariachi music. He not only established the performance standard for the solo mariachi trumpet, but also defined and popularized the two-trumpet mariachi practice. Furthermore, he is a distinguished and prolific author of popular songs and mariachi instrumental standards. But, as the proverb goes, ‘No one is a prophet in his own land,’ and, until quite recently, the Mexican news media virtually ignored Martínez, even though numerous articles about and interviews with him have appeared abroad. (To give an example, he was a principal figure in The History Channel’s recent documentary El Mariachi.)
The Encuentro Internacional del Mariachi was founded in 1994 by the Guadalajara Chamber of Commerce. Today, it is the largest mariachi festival in the world, and the one that features the most groups from different countries. When it began, this festival featured seldom-seen, rural, old-style and even indigenous groups in addition to contemporary ensembles, but the participation of the more traditional mariachis was soon almost eliminated. In 2002, to give greater exposure to this undervalued facet of Mexican folklore, Cornelio García of Jalisco’s Secretariat of Popular Culture organized the first Encuentro de Mariachi Tradicional, where one of the basic rules was that participating groups may not include the trumpet. The Encuentro Internacional del Mariachi and the Encuentro Nacional de Mariachi Tradicional were eventually scheduled back-to-back into a two-week celebration of mariachi music. Today, the two encuentros compliment each other magnificently, with the Encuentro Internacional devoted mainly to the commercial aspect and the Encuentro Tradicional mainly to the cultural aspect of mariachi music, although there is considerable overlap.
Continue reading ‘Patriarch of the mariachi trumpet honored in Guadalajara’
Roswell, New Mexico will host its first ever Mariachi Extravaganza featuring Latin Grammy Nominee, Nydia Rojas, on November 16, 2011 at 7:00 pm. Mariachi Los Arrieros from El Paso will perform along with Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza winners, Sebastian de La Cruz, and Best in US mariachi vocalist, Karenn Lazo. A performance by the Ballet Florklorico, Paso Del Norte, will help make this an authentic Mexican Independence day celebration.
Tickets are priced at $25, $30 and $40 and can be purchased through the Roswell Symphony Orchestra or by phone at 575-623-5882. All proceeds benefit the Roswell Symphony Orchestra. Roswell’s Mariachi Extravaganza is an MPR production (producers’s of San Antonio’s 17th Annual Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza).
Registration is now opened for San Antonio’s 17th Annual Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza which will take place November 27- December 4, 2011. The last day for early registration is November 10, 2011. Late registration ends November 17, 2011. Absolutely no registrations will be accepted after November 17.
The mariachi student workshops will take place on Friday, December 2, 2011 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center from 8am-1pm, and the group competitions will also take place on Friday at the Lila Cockrell Theatre starting at 5 pm. The vocal competition will take place on Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 9 am also at the Lila Cockrell Theatre.
Click here for the Individual Registration Form.
Click here for the Group Registration Form.
Click here for more information about the Extravaganza and to read the Rules and Regulations for the competitions.
This year there will be two concerts featuring the world renown Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán on Saturday, December 3 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, December 4 at 3pm at the Lila Cockrell Theatre.
Click here to purchase tickets.
Mariachi Vargas Concert Tickets on sale September 1!
To purchase tickets Click Here.
Over 1,000 mariachi musicians will convene in San Antonio for more than 100 performances during the city’s 17th Annual Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza November 27 through December 4. The 8-day mariachi music festival is the largest and longest running mariachi music event of its kind in the U.S. Competitive mariachi group and vocal competitions, spectacular mariachi concerts and numerous free community presentations and performances are scheduled. The Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza is named after the internationally acclaimed and Mexico City based, Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán who performed their first US mariachi festival in San Antonio in 1979.
Expect to see Mariachi Multicultural de America from Berklee’s College of Music in Boston, Mariachi Nueva Generacion from Texas State University in San Marcos, Mariachi Aztlan from the University of Texas Pan Am in Edinburg and other phenomenal groups go head to head in the only US mariachi group competition judged by members of Mariachi Vargas.
Log on to mariachimusic.com for more information. The 17th Annual Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza is produced by San Antonio based MPR under the leadership of Cynthia Muñoz. Corporate support is provided by Budweiser, Valero, Univision TV, Univision Radio and the TownePlace Suites Marriott.
Tickets go on sale September 1 through Ticketmaster.com (August 29 for American Express Cardholders who purchase through Ticketmaster.com). Tickets can also be purchased starting at $25 at the Alamodome box office at 100 Montana St. Call 210-225-3353 for workshop and mariachi group and vocal competition information or register at mariachimusic.com.
El lunes, 18 de julio de 2011, músicos de mariachi y miembros de la comunidad local se reunieron en la Plaza Garibaldi, México, DF, para llevar a cabo una protesta en contra de la apertura de una escuela de música que lleva por nombre Casa del Mariachi. Entre otras inconformidades, los manifestantes afirman que dicha escuela descaradamente subestima la música cuyo nombre ostenta— una música que le ha brindado fama mundial a la plaza en la que la Casa del Mariachi se encuentra ubicada.
Anteriormente, el gobierno del Distrito Federal había realizado la compra de un centro nocturno en estado de abandono, situado detrás del afamado Salón Tenampa, ubicado en la que muchos consideran la plaza más simbólica de la cultura popular en todo el país. La adquisición se llevó a cabo con el propósito de convertirlo en una escuela del mariachi, un proyecto que los músicos de mariachi de la plaza ya llevaban años promoviendo. A medida que progresaba la remodelación del local, las especulaciones dentro de la comunidad de Garibaldi crecían, ya que no se sabía quién se iba a quedar a cargo de la escuela, ni los nombres de los maestros que iban a impartir las clases. Como es bien sabido, en el Distrito Federal es donde reside la gran mayoría de los grandes maestros de la música de mariachi. Por lo tanto, se supondría que uno de ellos sería nombrado como director de la escuela, y que el plantel docente lo formarían legendarios virtuosos del género. De cualquier manera, las autoridades aseguraban a los de Garibaldi que los mismos músicos de la plaza tendrían prioridad sobre la nueva escuela que se llamaría Casa del Mariachi.
Continue reading ‘Protestan apertura de “Escuela de Mariachi” en Plaza Garibaldi’
On Monday, July 18, 2011, mariachi musicians and local community members gathered in Mexico City’s Plaza Garibaldi to protest the opening of a music school called Casa del Mariachi. Among other concerns, protesters claim this new school blatantly undervalues the music whose name it bears — the very music that has brought worldwide fame to the plaza in which the school is located.
Mexico City authorities recently purchased an abandoned nightclub directly behind the famous Salón Tenampa to create a mariachi school in what many consider the plaza most symbolic of Mexican popular culture in all of Mexico. For many years, local mariachi musicians have promoted the idea of creating this type of school. As remodeling of the building progressed, speculation within the mariachi community regarding who would direct this school and who would be its instructors increased. Since Mexico City is home to more famous mariachi musicians than anywhere else on earth, most assumed one of these would be named to direct the school, and that its faculty would consist of legendary mariachi virtuosos. In any case, the mariachis of Garibaldi were assured by the authorities that local mariachi musicians would have jurisdiction over the new school, which was to be called Casa del Mariachi.
Continue reading ‘Musicians protest “Mariachi School” in Plaza Garibaldi’
