Northern California’s First All-Female Youth Mariachi Group Debuts to Loud Cheers

Mariachi Rosas, Northern California’s first all-female youth mariachi group, made its debut Thursday before a packed house of parents at the closing event of the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts’ summer camp.

The new ensemble’s co-director, Elisa Macías Orozco, led the young musicians onto the stage with their instruments ready to perform “Te Quedó Grande La Yegua,” a popular Mexican song with a strong feminine story.

The audience burst into applause and cheers.

In a world that is strongly dominated by men, Mariachi Rosas wants to show girls who are interested in traditional music that they have a place in it.

“It’s a great feeling to be able to represent not only women, but Mexico,” Macías Orozco said. “To make history by breaking barriers, not because I think one gender is better, but by including both genders.”

The event featured performances by the young people who had rehearsed during the summer camp, showing creative drama, dance and mariachi.

According to Matthew Isais Bowker, director of LBC’s Mariachi Program, Mariachi Rosas must promote an inclusive perspective in response to the changing nature of classrooms.

“I want to make sure that all students are represented,” he said. “Mariachi is a male-dominated program, so when I took over this program, I thought, this is the first thing we have to do. It was a no-brainer.”

The Santa Rosa Camp is also open to students from Windsor and Cloverdale.

“LBC’s year-round mariachi program is free,” said Community Partnership Supervisor Tracy Sawyer, and it is funded primarily by private donors.

Contact La Prensa Sonoma’s editor Raquel Issenberg at [email protected]