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It had all the elements of a classic college road trip: a diverse group of students endure a long drive, a broken down car, and the usual discomforts to get to a music festival. And not just any music festival—at the end of the drive, the members of Mariachi Serrano de Claremont were able to attend the March 26 Viva el Mariachi Festival in Fresno along with more than 8,000 others.
The two-day event included workshops on Saturday. First, all participants attended a session on mariachi and its history. Then, participants were split into groups by experience and instruments. They learned songs in cooperation with instructors, and met other mariachi enthusiasts. On Sunday, the festival culminated in showcase performances where students performed with instructors.
Maciel Hernández '08, who is from Huron in Fresno County, first attended the festival when she was in the third grade. Interest in the tumultuous sounds of mariachi bands stuck with her through high school, when she began taking lessons with the Mariachi Heritage Foundation and became part of a group. Arriving at CMC, Hernández, a violinist, missed mariachi and decided to start a performing group of her own.
"Planning it was really hard," said Hernández, "but I had a lot of help. I asked around for people that played instruments, and I put up a lot of flyers. Once we had our first meeting, I really knew that it was going to happen." Mariachi Serrano de Claremont was soon a reality, attracting students with different levels of musical experience and diverse cultural backgrounds.
Classically trained soprano Carey Tan '07 felt the pull of mariachi, and became part of the group this year. "I'm always looking for new things to add to my repertoire," she said, "and this is a different style of singing. It's deeper and gutsier than I'm used to, and I love that I get to be expressive in a different way. When I'm singing an opera, it's very precise. But with the group, I feel freer and can take more liberty while dancing around and interacting with others. It's very liberating."
The group, which now includes 16 members from CMC, Pomona, and Pitzer colleges, has received some funding from the Crown Special Projects Fund and the President’s Discretionary Fund at CMC—to start the group, buy instruments, and assist with instruction. Initially, the group knew just three songs. At their first performance, before the third song, Hernández announced to the crowd: "We are only going to play one more song, because we only know one more."
Now, the group's repertoire has expanded to provide plenty of material for encores. At a recent show on the Frary steps at Pomona, Mariachi Serrano de Claremont opened with La Negra, a song they had never performed live before. "People were nervous," said Tan, "but it went very well."
The term mariachi refers to a type of musical group whose instruments typically include violins, trumpets, guitars, a guitarrón, and a vihuela. Mariachi Serrano de Claremont has also added a flute to their mix. Most people recognize mariachis by their charro outfits, which include wide-brimmed hats and plenty of silver. After a year of improvising on the uniform front, Mariachi Serrano de Claremont received charros of their own, thanks to a donation from Vicente Lopez '76 and his wife, Scripps alumna Tina Lopez, parents of Vicente Lopez '07 and Christopher Lopez '08.
"Getting our outfits was a real booster," said Tan. "I thought: 'When I put this on, I have to really perform!'"
The group plays at campus events and weddings, and has logged more than 30 performances this year. One big event was Noche de Amor, for Valentine's Day. The group sold serenades as prizes and gifts, and then spent the evening walking around the five colleges singing songs to lucky students. "It was very romantic," said Olivia Bevacqua '09.
Practice is twice weekly. In addition, some members of the group attend a new three-hour seminar class at Scripps. "Some days it feels like we practice five days a week," Bevacqua said. But Tan says the practices are well worth it. "It's so fun. I couldn't commit this much time to something extracurricular if it wasn't a blast."
The trip to the Fresno festival, made possible with club funds and support from the CMC Dean of Students Office as well as Pitzer and the Associated Students of Pitzer College, inspired the group.
"It was really mind-blowing, and on par with some of the best concerts I've seen at Disney Hall," said Tan. "The musicianship was very complex, and for me, it was like listening to a Beethoven symphony—I paid attention to the phrasing and textures. The variety was also amazing. I heard all kinds of different music."
Upcoming Events:
7 p.m., May 2, Balch Auditorium, Scripps. Music 131 Mariachi Performance and Culture Class end of term concert, featuring Music 131 students, Mariachi Serrano de Claremont, Montclair High School Mariachi Ensemble, and Chaffey College Mariachi Club.
11 a.m., May 4, Collins Dining Hall, Cinco de Mayo Lunch celebration, featuring Mariachi Serrano de Claremont.
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Lisette Mendez and Carey Tan sing a bolero, Sabor a Mi, at the
International Festival, held last month on CMC's campus. From left: Christian Lopez (PIT '10), Ramón Torres '08, Jazmin Lopez (POM '09), Maciel Hernández '08, Lisette Mendez (PIT '09), Jennie Renn (PIT '10),
Carey Tan '07, Olivia Bevacqua '09, Abril Iñiguez (POM '08), and Mario Avila '09.
Marisol Arreola (PIT '07), Cameron Quevedo '10. Quevedo plays the vihuela, an instrument unique to the mariachi ensemble.
Resplendent in their new outfits: Ramón Torres '08, Jazmin Lopez (POM '09), and Maciel Hernández '08.
"I wasn't raised with mariachi," said Olivia Bevacqua '09, with Abril Iñiguez (POM '08). "But now I love it."
Juan Flores '10, Carey Tan '07, Eduardo Herrera '08, Christopher
Lopez '08, and Ramón Torres '08.
Tan and Torres sing the duet, Amor de Los Dos.
From left, top row: Jazmin Lopez (POM '09), Abril Iñiguez (POM '08), Jennie Renn (PIT '10), Christian Lopez (PIT '10), Carey Tan '07, Maciel Hernández '08, Lisette Mendez (PIT '09); Middle: Ramón Torres '08, Christopher Lopez '08, Mario Avila '09, Olivia Bevacqua '09, Marisol Arreola (PIT '07), Juan Flores '10, Eduardo Herrera '08; Bottom: Cameron Quevedo '10, Vicente Lopez '07.
Mariachi Serrano de Claremont, at International Festival: Jennie Renn (PIT '10), Eduardo Herrera '08, and Cameron Quevedo '10.
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