Roma High School’s award-winning Mariachi Nuevo Santander will travel to Ashland, Oregon to perform at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Green Show July 31 through August 6. This outstanding Roma, Texas ensemble will represent the Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza as first place winners of that event’s high school mariachi group competition held in San Antonio last December.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is a prestigious event that presents theatrical plays in the picturesque mountain community of Ashland, Oregon. Located in the majestic Southern Oregon wine country, Ashland is home to numerous theater companies and venues, and enjoys a worldwide reputation for cultivating the dramatic arts through live, intimate theater experiences. Students from Roma High School’s mariachi will perform during the festival and will have the opportunity to see plays, explore the scenic parks in and around Ashland, and participate in community activities.
The 13 members of Mariachi Nuevo Santander will perform 40-minute shows on the following days: Friday, August 1; Sunday, August 3; and Tuesday, August 5. The shows will include their award-winning performance from the Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza, traditional songs representing different states of Mexico and various eras of mariachi history, and a tribute to some of Mexico’s greatest artists and songwriters.
Mariachi Nuevo Santander performs under the direction of Eloy Garza, mariachi director for Roma High School. “We’re honored and excited about this invitation to perform for a whole new audience in Oregon,” says Garza. “We’ve been working hard all summer long to put together a great show that will demonstrate our passion and pride for mariachi music and show the best of our culture. We hope to create new fans and show people how mariachi music has evolved through multiple generations.”
All shows start at 6:45 p.m., and are free and open to the public. The performances will be held on the main outdoor stage in the center of downtown Ashland.
Mariachi Nuevo Santander’s upcoming appearance in Ashland marks the fourth consecutive year that winners from the Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza have been invited to perform at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Green Show by its producer, Claudia Alick. The Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza is a seven-day mariachi music festival that hosts the largest, longest running, and most competitive mariachi group and vocal competitions in the world.
Members of Mariachi Nuevo Santander include: Jazmín Alaniz, Yarettsy Escobar, Clyde Guerra, Mario Gutiérrez, and Javier Martínez (violins); Luis Donaldo Cantú, Emmanuel Peña, and Héctor Ramírez (trumpets); José Alejandro García (vihuela); Alicia Alanís and César Pérez (guitars); Juan Mireles (guitarrón); and Juan Moya (harp). The group will be accompanied by director Eloy García, assistant directors Dominga Garza and Yamil Yunes, Roma Independent School District board member Clyde Guerra, chaperone María Isabel Escobar, and Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza producer Cynthia Muñoz.
For more information on the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, log on to osfashland.org. For information on this fall’s 20th Annual Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza in San Antonio, log on to mariachimusic.com.
