Winterfest 2011 at New Mexico Highlands University presents “A Mariachi Valentine’s Concert” Sat., Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. in the university’s historic Ilfeld Auditorium, 900 University Ave.
“This will be an evening of fabulous, colorful mariachi and ballet folklorico entertainment for the whole family,” said Donna Martinez, Ilfeld Auditorium manager. “The concert features some of New Mexico’s finest performers.”
All the performers in the mariachi concert will represent New Mexico and the United States in performances at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Mariachi soloist Reynaldo Maestas is one of the leading mariachi entertainers in the Southwest. In New Mexico, he is a regular soloist at the Lensic Performing Arts Center for Santa Fe Fiestas and the Villa Hispana courtyard theatre for the state fair. Other venues include the Santa Fe Opera, the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, and mariachi festivals in Mexico.
Maestas was nominated for seven New Mexico Hispano music awards and has recorded two CDs. He is from Rociada, N.M., and trained with New Mexico musical living legend Antonia Apodaca, his neighbor and mentor. Maestas earned his M.B.A. and B.A. in business from Highlands University.
Since 1990, New Mexico’s premier ballet folklorico, Baila! Baila!, has delighted audiences performing traditional Mexican folk dances. The Albuquerque-based folklorico group is renowned for its superb performances that feature romantic serenades, powerful rhythms, and colorful costumes.
Baila! Baila! headlines numerous cultural and musical events throughout the Southwest, and tours nationally and internationally.
New Mexico’s first all-female mariachi group, Mariachi Buenaventura, formed in Santa Fe in 2005. The talented young mariachi group is building a New Mexico following through venues such as the Santa Fe Fiestas.
Mariachi Buenaventura represented New Mexico in the Choral Olympics in Austria, has toured in Europe, and performed for U.S. President Barack Obama.
Tickets for Winterfest 2011 are $10 for general admission and are on sale at the university’s radio station, KEDP 91.1 FM, 901 University Ave., 505-454-3238. Or contact Martinez at
Some of the proceeds from the mariachi concert will benefit the entertainers to offset travel expenses for their 2012 Summer Olympics performances.