UA professor Celestino Fernández introduces mariachi music

UA professor Celestino Fernández

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Good evening. I'm going to cover a lot of ground tonight because there really isn't much material in English that has dealt with this very important tradition of mariachi music and culture. If you go to the library or do an online search for jazz, or rock, or country, blues, classical, etc., you will find volumes and volumes and volumes. On the other hand, if you do a search on mariachi music, there are a lot of Web sites today and there are brief paragraphs or written material but there's not a single book in English that describes this tradition. In fact, even in Spanish there only is a handful of books and many of them are rare, unavailable material that was printed in limited edition or, in some cases, by banks and were given to their large customers.
I would like to thank Tom Hixon and the Research Office and also the University of Arizona Foundation for supporting some of the work I'm doing. My goal is to produce a book on this tradition that will include photographs and possibly even a CD with samples of how this music has evolved over the years.
I'd like to begin with an invitation to the 20th anniversary of the Tucson International Mariachi Conference. The conference will take place April 23-27 here in Tucson and it's for the benefit of La Frontera Center. This behavioral health organization has been the beneficiary of this conference now for the last 20 years. Most of the funds go to the Child Family Center. So, if you're interested in mariachi music there are plenty of tickets available and there are some very special activities that take place at this conference. Workshops, there is a concert, there is a Mass, and in my talk you'll hear a little it about the Catholic Church and the role it's has played in the mariachi tradition, as well as Plaza Garibaldi, which is an all-day festival in the Armory Park on Saturday. There is no admission fee for this event. Literally, one can hear mariachis play from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. , and There's a student concert on Thursday night for a low price of $9 and you can hear many, many groups perform that come from different parts of the country.
On Tuesday, April 23rd there's going to be a special event this year because it is the 20th anniversary and that is a symphony concert - mariachis playing with The Tucson Symphony. That's will be at the Tucson Convention Center Music Hall.
The Tucson International Mariachi Conference has played a critical role in the diffusion of mariachi music in this country and even beyond the U.S. borders. The Guadalajara region is kind of the home of the mariachi tradition and about 10 or so years ago, folks from there came to see how we organize this event and they have now been operating a similar festival for about 10 years, although they include charreada, Mexican rodeo, and some other events, and one can even take a train ride to the town of Tequila on the "Tequila Express."
The main concert in this year's conference will feature some exceptional mariachis this year. Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán which since the '50s has been billed as "the best mariachi in the world." If they're not the best, they're certainly at the top of the list, so you'll be treated to some exceptional music. Los Camperos de Nati Cano - another of the best top two, three four or five mariachis in the world will also perform. Mariachi Cobre that originated here in Tucson, currently and has been at the Epcot Center in Disney World for about 15 or so years will be back. They haven't played at the mariachi conference in a few years. And then Mariachi America de Don Jesus Híjar will also be here. Angeles Ochoa, a female singer, will be performing as well.