EVENT | 5th Annual Mariachi Women’s Festival – July 21, 2018
The 5th Annual Mariachi Women’s Festival returns to Los Angeles this year with an unprecedented lineup of international all-female mariachi groups and performers from England, Canada, Japan and the U.S. Presented by festival founder, mariachi musician and Harvard grad, Dr. Leonor Xóchitl Pérez, the festival will take place on Saturday, July 21st at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse.
“I’m excited to have such an impressive lineup of international all-female mariachi groups performing at this year’s festival,” said Dr. Leonor Xóchitl Pérez, founder and producer of the 5th Annual Mariachi Women’s Festival. “Few know the extent to which the love for Mexican mariachi music transcends borders and that mariachi women can be found performing it all over the world. These women continue to make their mark and excel in the traditionally male dominated world of mariachi. I’m thrilled to be able to showcase their talent on this stage.”
The festival will present mariachi music as performed across the world and will feature special international guests: Mariachi Las Adelitas UK, from London, England; Mariachi Las Estrellas from Vancouver Canada; the debut of Denver, Colorado’s first ever all -female group, Mariachi Alma del Folkore; and headlining the international celebration will be the two-time Grammy award winning all female ensemble from Los Angeles, Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea. Special dance performances will accompany some of the mariachi pieces by the Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles de Kareli Montoya. Special guest and mariachi singer Junko Seki from Chiba, Japan will also join the evening concert.
A free pre-concert performance by community mariachi girls and women will take place prior to the main event. The pre-concert performance will be held at the playhouse entrance on an outdoor stage by the Spanish-style fountain and will feature the Mariachi Conservatory of Boyle Heights’ Mariachi Femenil as well as a variety of other local music and dance groups.
“It’s with great pride that we promote and support our traditional music interpreted by female musicians and singers,” stated Consul Carlos Eugenio Garcia de Alba Zepeda, Consul General of Mexico in Los Angeles. “The Mariachi Women’s Festival is an excellent initiative we are happy to be a part of in one of the most Mexican cities in the United States.”
Dr. Leonor Xóhitl Pérez is a scholar and leading advocate of mariachi women’s history, Mariachi Women’s festivals and has a traveling exhibit featuring over 100 years of history of women’s participation in the world of mariachi music. The exhibit was featured as a lobby exhibit in January of this year at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts as part of its debut of the new play American Mariachi. The play focuses on the creation of an all-female mariachi in the 70s. The Old Globe Theatre also launched this play and lobby exhibit in April immediately after the Denver debut. Dr. Pérez has given academic presentations on her research on women in mariachi at colleges and universities throughout the world including in Kazakhstan, Canada and Ireland.
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This year, the proud partners of the Mariachi Women’s Festival include the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles and Center for World Music. For more information about the the Mariachi Women’s Festival and Dr. Leonor Xochitl Perez, please visit: www.mariachiwomen.org
To purchase tickets for the July 21st Mariachi Women’s Festival, visit: https://tinyurl.com/y8o2odsg
For additional festival information, visit: www.mariachiwomen.org and https://missionplayhouse.org/event/5th-annual-mariachi-womens-festival
