I, Don Rogelio (aka Roger Arndt), will once again be the host for the 6th Mariachi Festival Canada. I am one of the founding members of Mariachi Los Dorados, a mariachi group based in Vancouver that have been together for over a decade. Los Dorados are well known throughout Western Canada fortheir mixture of Canadian and Mexican talent. Los Dorados have played at events and festivals across western Canada, the US, and Mexico, with feature performances at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the 2011 and 2012 Calgary Stampede and a number of times at the Guadalajara International Mariachi Festival.They are the host band for this event.
Returning for the second time is Maestro Armando Cervantes Tinoco who will be the musical director for the festival. Armando is a talented musician, composer, arranger, and a scholarwhen it comes to the history of Mariachi. He is from Guadalajara Mexico where he holds the position of Commissioner to Safeguard Mariachi (Conasam-Crespial-Unesco), Musical Director for the International Mariachi and Charreria Festival, and the Musical Director of Traditional Mariachi National Meeting in Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico. Mariachi is thought to have originated in Cocula, Mexico, and the government of Cocula awarded him with a lifetime achievment award for the preservation and promotion of Mariachi Music. He is the only person to recieve this honour. We are indeed fortunate to once again have him as our musical director. Following the festival, Armondo will be coming to visit Don Rogelio and to tour Bowen island.
Mariachi has been called the Spirit of Mexico and is a unique musical spectacle.
Come and share this unique presentation with us. For more information you cango to mariachifestival.com. For those of you who would like to experience this music but are unable to attend the festival, Mariachi Los Dorados will be playing from 3:00-5:00 pm at the Bowen Island Legion on June 14th.
