Thirty-two young mariachi musicians from across San Diego County will take the stage at The Conrad on Thursday, Nov. 5, for the first-ever Mariachi Honor Band concert hosted by La Jolla Music Society (LJMS).
The free performance begins at 7 p.m. in the Baker-Baum Concert Hall at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., according to the LJMS event listing.
Serafín Paredes, director of Mariachi Juvenil de San Diego and the LJMS Community Music Center, said this is the first year the society has formed two honor ensembles dedicated to mariachi, as first reported by Times of San Diego. One group draws from high school students in grades 9 through 12. The other is made up of musicians ages 17 to 25 who attend universities or community colleges.
Participants submitted audition videos in a selection process open to students countywide. The 32 chosen musicians come from schools including Logan Memorial Educational Campus, San Ysidro High School, Chula Vista High School, San Diego High School, Southwestern College and San Diego State University, according to Times of San Diego.
Paredes told Times of San Diego that honor ensembles are common in orchestras and symphonic bands but not in mariachi. He said he does not know of a similar program in San Diego, California or the country.
Four acts, one stage
The evening features four performances: Mariachi Juvenil de San Diego, the LJMS premier youth ensemble led by Paredes; the High School Mariachi Honor Band; the College Mariachi Honor Band; and Latin Grammy-nominated trumpeter Javier Rodríguez with special guests, according to the LJMS event listing.
The program includes favorites from Mexico's Jalisco region alongside original arrangements by Rodríguez and Sergio Caratachea Álvarez, the event listing shows. The concert caps several weeks of intensive rehearsals under instructors and guest artists from San Diego and Los Angeles, according to Times of San Diego.
The professional musicians coaching the students have performed with legendary groups including Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, Mariachi Los Camperos and Mariachi Sol de México, according to Times of San Diego.
A student's path
Helen Cruz Cruz, 17, is among the performers. A senior at Logan Memorial Educational Campus, she picked up the violin four years ago when she entered high school. She grew up around family members who played in groups, mariachis and orchestras but had never had access to formal music training, according to Times of San Diego.
Cruz Cruz, who was born in Rosarito and raised in a family from Michoacán and Acapulco, said she hopes to study music in college and become a music teacher, the outlet reported.
Free lessons, free instruments
The Mariachi Honor Bands are part of LJMS's Community Learning and Engagement programs. The society's Community Music Center, based at Logan Memorial Educational Campus, offers free music classes for students in fourth through 12th grade, according to Times of San Diego. Students receive instruction three times a week. The organization lends instruments and study materials at no cost, and students who meet attendance and progress requirements for two years receive a new instrument to keep.
In 2024, Mariachi Juvenil de San Diego won first place at the California State Fair Youth Mariachi Competition in Sacramento, according to Times of San Diego.
Rodríguez, a Latin Grammy-nominated trumpeter, told Times of San Diego that sharing the stage with students gives them knowledge that once required years of professional experience.
The concert is free. Details are available at theconrad.org.
