Search Results for mariachi

Mariachi Plata struck all the right notes at a recent competition in Albuquerque, where the Western New Mexico University musical ensemble took home two top awards. Mariachi Plate earned first place in the university category and second place overall at Mariachi Spectacular, an annual summer conference for mariachi ensembles throughout the region. The WNMU group returned to the event, having initially taken second place in 2016. “Our group has really progressed over the last two years,” said Bryant Chaffino, Mariachi Plata musical director. “I’m proud to say that Mariachi Plata has become a positive source of pride for Western.” The two-day conference and competition provided the student musicians with access to knowledge from renowned artists and composers. At least 14 ensembles performed in the contest. The community-at-large can support Mariachi Plata’s ongoing efforts by donating to the University Foundation. For more information, contact...

As part of a four-day celebration commemorating Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), the mariachi and folklorico groups from the Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez (UACJ) will be performing at Western New Mexico University on October 31 and November 1. Mariachi Canto A Mi Tierra will perform on Monday, October 31 at 7:00 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center Theater. The UACJ ballet folklorico group will also perform. Free and open to the public, the performance will begin after a brief talk by Dr. Felipe de Ortego y Gasca, WNMU Scholar-in-Residence, who will discuss the important historical origins of the Dia De Los Muertos holiday. On Tuesday, November 1, the UACJ mariachi group will perform at 4:00 p.m. in the courtyard of the Silver City Museum. Following the performance, an ofrenda procession will begin at the museum and make its way through downtown Silver city, ending at the Miller Library on the WNMU campus. Festivities will continue at the Miller Library from 7:00 p.m. to...

Mariachi music will be the focus of a three-day event in the Fine Arts Center Theater beginning September 15 on the Western New Mexico University campus. Mariachi workshops will take place on September 15 and 16 for community members to learn about the history and culture of Mariachi music. Area talent will be on hand facilitating the workshops including members of Mariachi Plata of WNMU. The Thursday workshop begins at 9:30 a.m. and the Friday workshop begins at 10:00 a.m. Registration to attend is $45 and includes lunch and admission to concert. Two concert performances on Saturday, September 17 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. will culminate the weekend. Performers include Mariachi Plata and Raices de America, an El Paso based group. Admission to the concert is $15 for adults, $10 for 12-year-olds and younger, and free to WNMU students with Mustang Card. Tickets are available for purchase at all Food Basket locations, Fort Bayard Credit Union, The Bed Shoppe, Smoke Shoppe, First...

A recent competition win by Mariachi Plata, Western New Mexico University’s mariachi ensemble, has opened doors to upcoming workshops and competitions throughout the region. Mariachi Plata is in its fifth semester at WNMU. The fifteen-member group, made up of students from Silver City, Deming and El Paso, competed at Mariachi Spectacular in Albuquerque, earlier in July, earning a second place finish in the university category. “We were only together for two weeks this summer,” said Bryant Chaffino, the ensemble’s music instructor. “We practiced day and night and I’m really proud of this group’s dedication and talent.” Mariachi Ensemble is offered as a two-credit course each semester with classes meeting on Monday and Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m. in Parotti Hall. “Having a vibrant, active mariachi ensemble on campus is important to our culture here and supports our university as a Hispanic Serving Institution,” said Chaffino. The group’s success in...

The Western New Mexico University Board of Regents received updates from state leaders, accepted the FY ’22 Audit Report and second quarter Financial Certification and a revision of the Capital Project Transmittal for the Deming Learning Center during their meeting last Thursday. The meeting followed Grant County Day at the state Legislature, a time when local representatives from the public and private sectors meet with state leaders and include highlights such as a packed house performance of Mariachi Plata de WNMU in the rotunda of the Roundhouse. Along with a trio of $15 million asks to develop a workforce training facility in the mining district, continue the work of making the university carbon neutral by 2025, and the construction of a facility to house the newly designated New Mexico Center of Excellence for Early Childhood Education, WNMU is also seeking funding for on-campus solar charging, the continued work to bring back NCAA baseball and establishing a women’s...

The local community is invited to the campus of Western New Mexico University for the annual holiday tradition known as Jingle & Mingle on Friday, December 3, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Themed Candy Cane Lane this year, Jingle & Mingle hosts an evening of children’s crafts and games, live music, sparkling winter decorations, warm beverages and sweet treats hosted by WNMU Cultural Affairs. Jingle & Mingle Down Candy Cane Lane will be held in Regents Square, which will become a winter wonderland with a dozen Christmas trees and other Yuletide displays. “Celebrating the season in a safe, festive outdoor environment gives the people of Southwest New Mexico a chance to get into the holiday spirit and enjoy each other’s company,” said WNMU Cultural Affairs Program Coordinator Alexandra Tager. “There will be plenty of photo ops for families, so come gather the family around our 15-foot Christmas Tree, or one of the many giant inflatables, for that special holiday...

The Western New Mexico University Office of Veteran Affairs will observe the 20-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks with a memorial event on campus Saturday, September 11, 2021. “The university invites the community to join us in solemnly remembering the 2,977 lives lost that day in 2001, and also in honoring the 5,448 service members and civilians killed in action during the resulting Global War on Terror,” said USAF Sep. Staff Sergeant Jason Quimby, who manages the WNMU Office of Veteran Affairs. The event begins at 8 a.m. with a presentation of the colors and the national anthem sung by Mariachi Plata de WNMU and continues through noon with periodical observed silences in remembrance of the attack’s most devastating moments. Giving the keynote address will be 1984 WNMU alumnus J.R. Calkins, who worked on a Type 1 Incident Management Team that mobilized to New York City on September 12, 2001, to assist with search and rescue efforts at ground zero. The...