SANTA BARBARA — Two-time Grammy winners, Mariachi Los Camperos, kick off ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! 2019 season with free family concerts on January 11,12, and 13, including extra 4 pm matinee concerts in Guadalupe and at The Luke. Mariachi Los Camperos is one of the most renowned mariachi ensembles in the world and is widely recognized for its role in popularizing mariachi in the United States. Under the leadership of the ensemble’s late founder, Jose Natividad “Nati” Cano, Los Camperos became known for their world-class musicianship, artful interpretation of classic tunes, inventive arrangements, and tight vocal harmonies. Los Camperos are fantastic vocalists as well as accomplished musicians on traditional mariachi instruments: violin, trumpet, guitar, vihuela and guitarrón. Based at La Fonda in Los Angeles, Los Camperos tour internationally. Earlier this year, Los Camperos collaborated with the New York City Opera and Houston Grand Opera in productions of the mariachi opera Cruzar la Cara de la Luna.
Grupo Bella
Coming to Santa Barbara County February 8 – 10, Grupo Bella is a multi-faceted ensemble from the Los Angeles area that uses mariachi instrumentation to perform many different styles of music, with a modern twist. Grupo Bella offers a wide repertoire of music from traditional mariachi, boleros,son Jarocho,huasteco, Mexican pop, even a few American Classics, tropical music, salsa, cumbias and much more. The six women and one man who make up Grupo Bella have all studied in prestigious universities and have also worked on Grammy Nominated/wining albums.
La Patronal
La Patronal, a unique brass band from Lima, Peru, performs in free family events March 8 – 10. Rooted in the tradition of fiestas populares, or town fairs, common in rural villages across Latin America, La Patronal honors these gatherings, which celebrate tradition through fireworks, dancing, and religious images. La Patronal members are direct descendants of rural musicians from Peru, and use this knowledge of folk culture in combination with their formal music studies to preserve their heritage. Their lively performances encourage audience participation and dancing with contagious percussion and vibrant brass and winds.
Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles
Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles was founded in 2011 by Kareli Montoya. Although young, the dance company has already distinguished itself as the nation’s premier Mexican folk dance company. The dance company has worked with Grammy-Award-Winning Artists such as Lila Downs, Pepe Aguilar, Mariachi Divas and Mariachi Los Camperos. In 2017 BFLA collaborated with Mitu Network on a Mariachi Remake of Beauty and the Beast’s “A Tale as Old as Time,” featuring Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuellar and BFLA’s Director, Kareli Montoya. The video went viral on Facebook at 15 million views. Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles will close the 2018 season with free family performances in the three Viva venues – Isla Vista, Guadalupe, and The Marjorie Luke Theatre – on April 12 – 14.
All of Viva’s events are free due to the generosity and forward thinking of SAGE Publications, The Roddick Foundation, Anonymous, Russell Steiner, Monica and Tim Babich, Montecito Bank & Trust, National Endowment for the Arts, UCSB Office of Education Partnerships, The Stone Family Foundation, Linda Stafford Burrows, Marianne Marsi and Lewis Manring, and the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission Community Arts Grant Program, with funds provided by the City of Santa Barbara, in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture. Additional support comes from The Marjorie Luke Theatre’s Dreier Family Rent Subsidy Fund. The program is supported in part by the Santa Barbara Independent, the Santa Maria SUN, El Latino CC, Radio Bronco, Entravision/Univision Costa Central, the Hilton Garden Inn Santa Barbara/Goleta, Pacifica Suites, the Best Western South Coast Inn, and the Santa Barbara Unified School District. Viva is co-presented by The Marjorie Luke Theatre, the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center and UCSB Arts and Lectures, in partnership with the Isla Vista School Parent Teacher Association.