The Nevada Music Educators Association All-State Festival features a middle school and high school level mariachi. These ensembles include violins, armonia, trumpet, vocals, and guitarron. Students work closely with a guest conductor for two days before performing a final concert. Students who make the All-State mariachis are the top performers in Nevada. Both middle school and high school students audition to earn a spot in the ensemble.
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High School |
ChairpersonDonato Avila |
Audition materials
Deadlines to know:
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Guest Conductor
Welcome back Jose Hernandez!
Conductor & Founder of Mariachi Sol de México and Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles
José Hernández is an eight-time Grammy Award nominee and a master of mariachi music. He is a world-renowned musician, composer, arranger, producer and music educator who continues to break new ground in the world of mariachi. He is the founder of the world-famous Mariachi Sol de México and America’s first all-female professional mariachi ensemble Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles.
Maestro Hernandez is a fixth-generation mariachi musician whose passion is to expand the boundaries of the genre while preserving the traditions that mariachi audiences know and love. His musicality and world-class arrangements have opened the doors for his Mariachi groups to play all over the world from Madison Square Garden and The Hollywood Bowl to the World Festival in Pyongyang, North Korea. His gifting and notoriety has put him in front of five USA Presidents from Reagan to Barack Obama and has allowed him to share the stage with icons such as Selena, Vicente Fernandez, The Beach Boys, Luis Miguel and Bryan Adams.
Known for his mastery of the craft and outstanding musical direction, Maestro Hernandez’s groups are excellent and versatile, able to play anything from Tchaikovsky “Nutcracker Suite”, to the Charlie Daniel’s band “Devil Went Down to Georgia”. His passion to fuse mariachi with other genres began in 1982 with his original symphonic arrangements for Mariachi. These arrangements have allowed his groups to share the stage with major symphony orchestras such as the prestigious Los Angeles Philharmonic, The San Francisco Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, Jalisco Symphony and many more. In addition to the 24 albums he has produced and recorded for Mariachi Sol De Mexico de Jose Hernandez and Mariachi Reyna De Los Angeles, Maestro has become the “go-to” mariachi arranger in Hollywood; having recorded for movies like “Sea Biscuit “, “American Me”, “Glory Road”, and “Rango”.
At the core of Maestro’s passion, is his belief that music can truly change lives. The outworking of this belief was established in 1991 through the “Mariachi Heritage Society”, his non-profit mariachi education foundation that has equipped thousands of students in various instruments. Each year Maestro hosts The José Hernández’ Mariachi Nationals and Summer Institute, a summer intensive and competition that brings together some of the country’s top student mariachi ensembles and offers them scholarships.
Perhaps his greatest accomplishment of all is being the proud father of five children who have followed in his musical footsteps and husband to his wife Teresa of 40 years.
Middle School |
Chairperson Donato Avila |
Audition materials
Deadlines to know:
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Guest Conductor
Welcome back Marcos Gaona Garcia!
Marcos Gaona Garcia began his musical career at the early age of 12. Mastering fluency on a variety of instruments throughout this career, he currently flourishes on the Mariachi genre. Garcia’s strong respect and appreciation for Mariachi music is exemplified through his works. Combined with his musical knowledge and performing experience, he developed a passion for Mariachi music he hopes others will soon share.
Marcos received a Bachelor’s degree from Our Lady of the Lake University, in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas. He is currently certified as a Generalist Educator, as well as an All-Level Music Specialist. Garcia has an extensive teaching resume that ranges from pre-school through college. He has been teaching Mariachi Music since 1996.
Garcia quickly gained acknowledgements as a reputable Mariachi instructor throughout San Antonio and surrounding cities. He taught in San Antonio, Southwest, Northside, and South San Antonio Independent School Districts. Marcos’s versatility challenged him to new heights, as he then directed groups at the college level. He worked 3 years as the Mariachi Director for Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, as well as 3 years directing Texas State University’s award-winning Mariachi in San Marcos. Garcia gained professional directing experience after accepting the role of Musical Director for the all-female Mariachi Las Alteñas of San Antonio. After finding his way to the Rio Grande Valley, Garcia is currently the head director of one of the most prominent Mariachi programs in Texas: Edcouch-Elsa Independent School District.
With over 20 years of performing experience, Marcos Garcia has an extensive list of prestigious venues on his resume. Memorable career highlights include performances at: the White House for President Bush, the Kennedy Center, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Walt Disney Center Concert Hall. Garcia has performed Mariachi music at numerous locations across the United States including: Texas, California, Florida, Nevada, and Washington D.C.
Playing professionally by the age of 14, Marcos quickly gained status amongst Texas’ top groups. He performed as a lead trumpet player with the award-winning Mariachi Festival de Oscar Garza for 7 years. Garcia then joined the nationally recognized Campanas De America, where he found a role as a violinist for 7 more years. During his final 2 years with Campanas, he served as an Assistant Musical Director for the group. Currently, Marcos is in his 14th year as a violinist for the world-renowned, 3-Time Grammy Nominated Mariachi Los Arrieros del Valle.
Related Documents
- NMEA All State MS Mariachi 2021 PDF – 33 KB
- NMEA All-State HS 2021 PDF – 31 KB
