THE FOURTH ANNUAL NATIONAL CITY MARIACHI FESTIVAL & COMPETITION
By Susana Villegas
Perhaps nothing is more symbolic of Mexico than mariachi. It is an icon of Mexican culture that has conquered Plazas Garibaldi in cities well beyond the borders of Mexico. No matter what part of the world you visit, a mariachi group’s music, dress, and sombreros announce Mexico’s culture and traditions in an unmistakable way. In 2011, the United Nations Educational and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) recognized mariachi as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
For four years in a row, the National City Tourism Marketing District (TMD), the National City Chamber of Commerce, the University of San Diego (USD), Mariachi Juvenil de San Diego, and the Mariachi Scholarship Foundation have joined forces to promote mariachi right here in the San Diego region through the National City Mariachi Festival & Competition. The event offers mariachi students two days of comprehensive workshops that include instruction from some of mariachi’s most renowned artists. Students may participate in a competitive mariachi competition at Pepper Park in National City on their third day of the program. The workshops will be held on March 11 and 12 at the University of San Diego campus in San Diego. Enrollment is open to the public. The enrollment period ends February 19, 2016.
“The National City Chamber of Commerce, the Tourism and Marketing District, USD, Mariachi Juvenil, and the Mariachi Scholarship Foundation are proud to invest in our youth through mariachi and to support mariachi as a cultural resource that attracts youth and professionals to the San Diego region,” said Jacqueline Reynoso, Executive Director of the National City Chamber of Commerce.
Student Workshop
For today’s youth, the mariachi program supports their artistic, individual, and educational endeavors in an effort to strengthen their role as ambassadors of Mexican culture and their role as positive and constructive leaders for future generations.
The Festival & Competition’s educational workshop and performances teach advanced music-making, dance, and music appreciation. Participating students also become more culturally aware, as they carry on the musical and cultural traditions of mariachi.
The student workshops are organized by Serafin Paredes, founder of Mariachi Juvenil de San Diego, a non-profit mariachi organization in the San Diego area. The organization’s mission is to encourage students to attend a four-year university and pursue a career in music.
“Mariachi Juvenil de San Diego has trained 400 students in the mariachi arts since 2002 and 1500 students during mariachi workshops,” said Mr. Paredes. “Over 85 percent of our students have gone on to a four-year college, and all of them take mariachi with them for the rest of their lives as faithful representatives of Mexican culture. ”Workshops cover instruction in guitarron, guitar, trumpet, violin, vihuela, harp and voice. There are four levels of workshops: Level I, II, III and Masters.
Mariachi workshop maestros and instructors are carefully selected to insure the highest quality instruction for students attending the conference. Each instructor is selected based on musical talent and experience, knowledge and technique of the instrument that he/she has been selected to teach, teaching ability, mariachi musical and historical knowledge, commitment to the preservation of the tradition and authenticity of the music, and a non-compromising commitment to the quality and integrity of the musical tradition of mariachi music. Participating maestros come from both the United States and Mexico and have made significant contributions to the evolution of the tradition, and almost all have musical arranging and composition experience to their credit.
“The workshop instructors are all top-notch,” notes Mr. Paredes. “They are distinguished in their own right as musicians and standard bearers of mariachi, but they become more than that to our students. They are musical mentors that inspire them to be proud of mariachi and the culture.”
Performing for San Diego
After two days of workshops, students have a chance to walk on stage and perform for family and friends at the Student Showcase Concert held at the USD campus. The Student Showcase Concert is an opportunity for student mariachis to showcase their talents in front of the San Diego community. Students inspired by skill and passion for mariachi music have an opportunity to win cash prizes to use towards new instruments, mariachi outfits, and travel expenses. They also have a chance to be invited to play with master mariachi musicians on
March 13 at the Mariachi Festival & Competition Concert at Pepper Park in National City.
Members of the community are invited to attend the Student Showcase, the Festival & Competition Concert, and to enroll in the workshops at http://mariachifest.com/mariachi-workshops/ or call 619-477-9339.