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Auditions now for the 2024 Mariachi Estelares de Colorado, Colorado’s All-State Youth Mariachi Ensemble! Thirteen exceptional students will be selected to work with Mariachi Maestro Dr. Lorenzo Trujillo in learning and mastering advanced Mariachi musical scores, and will have the special opportunity to perform and open for the headlining act at the Viva Southwest Mariachi Festival concert in September 2024.
The 2023 Mariachi Estelares de Colorado made their debut performance at Casa Bonita, and opened for Latin-Grammy-winning group Flor de Toloache at Levitt Pavilion in Denver. Watch them perform the National Anthem at the Denver Nuggets game on March 29, 2024!
Read more about the group in this article from the Denver Post.
Audition Information
Eligibility: Students must be in the 9th Grade through Undergraduate level. Students must play a traditional Mariachi instrument and sing. Students must provide the contact information for one reference from their school, whether that is a Mariachi Ensemble Director, Band or Orchestra Director, Teacher, or Principal.
Instruments: We are accepting auditions for violin, trumpet, harp, guitarron, guitarra and vihuela.
Audition Requirement: Fill out the audition application and submit a 3-minute video performing excerpts of two Mariachi pieces; the first displaying your instrument, and the second performing a vocal solo. Further details are below.
Selection Process: Audition scores are totaled and entered into a database. The score formula is then applied to the scores generating a list of students ranked by instrument and score. The All-State Mariachi group will be made of 13 students: 6 violins, 3 trumpets, 1 guitarron, 1 vihuela, 1 guitarra and 1 harp (optional). Selected participants will be notified via email in April, and are expected to attend the Viva Southwest Mariachi Conference event April 19-20, 2024 for the public announcement.
Note to Mariachi Directors:
If you would like to recommend a candidate to audition in-person at the conference, please email Dr. Lorenzo A. Trujillo ([email protected]) in advance of the conference to arrange a time for the audition.
Audition Video Requirements
To audition, please submit a video-recording of yourself playing excerpts from two Mariachi pieces. The first performance must be an instrument solo, and the second must be a vocal solo. Specific requirements for each performance are listed below, along with the criteria judges will use for selection. Judges will score your audition 40% Instrument Solo, 35% Vocal Solo, and 25% Performance and the ability to bring the songs to life (this includes your ability to show creativity, stage presence, confidence, and story-telling).
Instrument Solo (40%)
Instrument Solo Audition Requirements:
- Play a 30 second to 1 minute solo on your instrument
- You must submit with a metronome as your accompaniment set at your desired bpm
- Please disclose the tempo you are setting and what published piece of Mariachi music you will be playing
Submissions will be judged on the following criteria for the instrument solo:
- Technique (knowledge of instrument, appropriate style)
- Tempo (accuracy of notes and rhythms)
- Musicality (dynamics, accents, etc.)
Voice Solo (35%)
Voice Solo Audition Requirements:
- Please limit solos to 2 minutes or less
- Students must sing a solo from a “published music source”
- Students singing inappropriate literature will receive a score of zero for the solo
- Submissions must be recorded using a live or pre-recorded guitar or Mariachi group accompaniment
- Entries submitted with keyboards, synthesized instruments, computer-generated music, or other non-traditional Mariachi accompaniment will be disqualified
- Memorization is required
Submissions will be judged on the following criteria for the vocal solo:
- Tone Quality / Technique (tone, breath support, vowels, appropriate style)
- Intonation (singing in tune)
- Accuracy (accuracy of notes and rhythms)
- Diction (text clarity, accurate pronunciation of the Spanish)
- Musicality (dynamics, sensitivity to text, articulation to convey appropriate meaning)
Selected Participant Expectations
Students chosen to participate in the Mariachi Estelares de Colorado are expected to memorize and sing all literature designated by the musical assignment, attend all rehearsals and concerts, and follow the rules listed on the acceptance. Attendance for all rehearsals and concert performances are mandatory. Participants can expect to perform as the opening act for a major headliner at the Viva Southwest Mariachi Festival in September 2024. In 2023 the all-state group opened for Grammy-nominated group Flor de Toloache, and in 2022 the all-state group opened for Grammy-winning Mariachi superstar Lupita Infante during the Viva Southwest Mariachi Festival at the Levitt Pavilion in Denver!
The All-State Schedule will be determined once the Viva Southwest Mariachi Festival is announced. Students will be required to commit to two Saturday rehearsals from 9am-1pm and two Saturday rehearsals from 9am-4pm in Denver leading up to opening for the headliner at the festival in September 2024. Gas stipends will be distributed, with priority given to members that live outside the Denver Metro Area.
Viva Southwest Mariachi Festival 2023 Gallery
Flor de Toloache Performs at Levitt Pavilion on September 16, 2023.
The 2023 Mariachi Estelares de Colorado
The 2023 Mariachi Estelares de Colorado perform at Levitt Pavilion on September 16, 2023.
The 2023 Mariachi Estelares de Colorado perform at Levitt Pavilion on September 16, 2023.
The 2023 Mariachi Estelares de Colorado perform at Levitt Pavilion on September 16, 2023.
The 2023 Mariachi Estelares de Colorado perform at Levitt Pavilion on September 16, 2023.
The 2023 Mariachi Estelares de Colorado perform at Levitt Pavilion on September 16, 2023.
The 2023 Mariachi Estelares de Colorado onstage at Levitt Pavilion on September 16, 2023.
Viva Southwest Mariachi Festival 2022 Gallery
The Mariachi Estelares de Colorado perform to a crowd at the Levitt Pavilion in Denver. Photo: Eric Einstein
The Mariachi Estelares de Colorado perform to a crowd at the Levitt Pavilion in Denver. Photo: Eric Einstein
The Mariachi Estelares de Colorado perform to a crowd at the Levitt Pavilion in Denver. Photo: Eric Einstein
The Mariachi Estelares de Colorado perform to a crowd at the Levitt Pavilion in Denver. Photo: Eric Einstein
The Mariachi Estelares de Colorado perform to a crowd at the Levitt Pavilion in Denver. Photo: Eric Einstein
The Mariachi Estelares de Colorado perform to a crowd at the Levitt Pavilion in Denver. Photo: Eric Einstein
The Mariachi Estelares de Colorado perform to a crowd at the Levitt Pavilion in Denver. Photo: Eric Einstein
The Mariachi Estelares de Colorado, Photo: Eric Einstein
The Viva Southwest Mariachi Festival on September 25, 2022. Photo: Eric Einstein
Viva Southwest Mariachi Conference
Whether you choose to audition or not, we highly encourage all students of Mariachi to attend our annual Viva Southwest Mariachi Conference April 19-20, 2024, and the accompanying Viva Southwest Mariachi Festival in September 2024!
Workshops are available for all skill levels of traditional Mariachi instruments, along with lectures, masterclasses, and a spectacular showcase concert featuring regional student Mariachi groups.
