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Margaritas, mariachi and memoirs liven up the summer
¡VivaFest! also heads to a White House conference on music and arts education
 
Estimados,

We're kicking off summer with margaritas, mariachi music ... and memoirs? Sure! Author Deborah Rodriguez has written a great new memoir called "Margarita Wednesdays: Making a New Life by the Mexican Sea," and she'll share it with us on June 19.

 

Don't miss the chance to have a margarita and join in conversation with Deborah as she discusses her book at an event that ¡VivaFest! is co-presenting with the Commonwealth Club of California at 7 p.m. at the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center at 3921 Fabian Way in Palo Alto. Admission is free ONLY for readers of this newsletter! Just enter the promo code "FREE" at the Commonwealth Club website. For more information, go to vivafest.org.

 

There's so much more to announce this summer! Read on to learn about an exciting White House program that we're taking part in, and to get a sneak peek of the upcoming festival.

 

¡VivaFest! goes to Washington (via California)

 

Great news! Our mariachi education program will be highlighted at a national policy conference on music and arts education hosted by the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for Hispanics in the San Francisco Bay Area this August 27 and 28!

 

We are thrilled to be included as a panel participant and co-planner of this very important discussion on the benefits of music and the arts and the importance of increasing access to arts education for Hispanic students. The Initiative will convene researchers, practitioners, community and philanthropy leaders, and other stakeholders to scale what works, leverage research to highlight the STEM linkages and focus on capacity building, particularly in emerging communities. 

 

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More great news: Our mariachi and ballet folklorico workshop students from our 2014 summer workshops will be able to audition to perform at this important national convening. Seventy students -- 35 musicians and 35 dancers -- will be selected to represent ¡VivaFest! at this national event. 

 

If you know of a student who would benefit from our "Big Fat Mariachi Summer Music Camp" this July and would like to audition for the White House conference, be sure to register for our mariachi workshops this summer!

 

And there's even MORE great news! We are almost halfway to our goal to raise $2,500 in scholarships for our mariachi workshops. We have just under 30 days to go. You can help us get to the goal line by making a pledge of as little as $10!

 

Meet William Faulkner, master harp instrumentalist

 

A full schedule of ¡VivaFest! performing and visual arts activities will be announced in our next newsletter, but here is a "sneak peek" at one of our faculty artists: William Faulkner, master harp instrumentalist. Register for William's workshop here. 

[image: William Faulkner and harp]
Harpist William Faulkner.

William's interest in mariachi began in 1971 when he bought a Mariachi Vargas record in a flea market for 25¢.  Shortly afterward, he began playing guitarrón and vihuela. In 1979 he started playing harp in mariachi, and two years later was studying with Arturo Mendoza, a harpist with Mariachi Vargas from 1945 to 1995. William also travelled to Zapotiltic to meet Arturo's father, José Mendoza, a noted harp soloist who also had played with Mariachi Vargas in the 1930s.  Since then, William has continued to play in the style typical of southern Jalisco and specialize in sones jaliscienses.


Wlliam was the director and harpist of Mariachi Mixtlán from 1980 to 1998, and also has performed solo on Jalisco harp since 1983. He has performed with various other mariachis, notably Mariachi International from Tucson, Arizona, and Mariachi Cobre, taking stages throughout the Southwestern United States, Mexico and Spain. In Mexico, he has participated as a soloist in Fiestas de Octubre in Guadalajara, and performed in Zapopan, Tlaquepaque, Lagos de Moreno, Tequila, Zapotlán el Grande, Zapotlanejo, Zaoptiltic, Autlán, El Grullo, Sayula, Chapala, Ocotlán, Tototlán, and numerous other towns. He is the official harpist for the town of Tequila, and an adopted son of Zapotiltic.


William directed the musical workshops at the Mariachi Espectacular in Albuquerque from 1991 to 1995, and has given workshops in Guadalajara; Mexico City; San José, California; Tucson, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and San Antonio, Texas, as well as playing festivals in other cities. 

 

William prides himself on representing and teaching the traditional style of mariachi harp, and we can't wait to have him share it with us.

  

Saludos,
Marcela


Funding for the Mexican Heritage Corporation and its programs such as ¡VivaFest! and its mariachi education program is provided in part through: a grant from the Office of Cultural Affairs of the City of San José, The National Endowment for the Arts, The TomKat Charitable Trust, The Hewlett Foundation, The Union Bank Foundation, Wells Fargo Bank, MACYs, Southwest Airlines, Mundo Fox, earned revenue from ¡VivaFest! and from readers like YOU. THANK YOU. To learn more about all of our generous donors please visit www.vivafest.org/sponsors.

 

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About Mexican Heritage Corporation
The mission of the Mexican Heritage Corporation is to affirm, celebrate, and preserve the rich cultural heritage of the Mexican Community and showcase multicultural arts within the region.
 

 

Mexican Heritage Corporation 
Marcela Davison Avilés
President and CEO
More Information: 877-MHC-VIVA