“Los Camperos are one of the finest examples of this proud Mexican musical tradition that grew out of a regional Jalisco style some 75 years ago to become the national music of Mexico.”
—Style Weekly
Mujer. The Alonso family plays an instrumental version of Agustin Lara’s classic bolero.
Translation of text:
Mujer (woman)
Agustin Lara
Woman, divine woman, you have the poison that fascinates at your glance.
Woman alabastrine, you are the vibration of a passional sonatina.
You have the scent of an orange tree in bloom,
the lofty stature of a majesty.
You know of the filters that exist in love,
you have the spell of lightheartedness.
The divine magic of a sunset, and the marvel of inspiration.
You have in the rhythm of your being all the palpitation of a song.
You are the reason for my existence, woman.
El Rascapetate. The Alonso family plays a son chiapaneco, traditionally a marimba-centered instrumental from the southern state of Chiapas.
“GEMA” as sung by Sergio Alonso with members of Mariachi Los Camperos.
An encore performance from PBN’s February 12, 2022, virtual concert with Sergio Alonso.
This Piano by Nature concert was featured in Lake Champlain Weekly in the February 2, 2022 issue in an article entitled “Beyond Their Borders.” Click images to enlarge or you may read or download PDF version here.
On February 12th, 2022 Piano by Nature is thrilled to continue our exploration into music of the harp, presenting mariachi virtuoso Sergio Alonso in an exciting and inspiring zoom event unlike any other. Mr. Alonso will ‘bring’ his three-time Grammy-award winning large ensemble Mariachi Los Camperos to our online concert hall, and give us the inside scoop on how their group grew into a musical powerhouse, performing in such prestigious concert venues as Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the White House.
The Grammy award-winning ensemble, Mariachi Los Camperos was founded in 1961 by Jose Natividad “Nati” Cano Ruiz, who played a fundamental role in the development of mariachi music in the United States. His mission was to train and mentor new generations of mariachi musicians and his dream was to take mariachi performance out of the local Cantina and move it into the concert hall to be shared with the world.
For 60 years, their innovative shows have delighted audiences of stage and television, and Mariachi Los Camperos has recorded and performed with countless extraordinary musicians including Pedro Fernandez, Pepe Aguilar, Angeles Ochoa, Eugenia Leon, Lila Downs, Alejandro Fernandez, Luis Miguel, and many more. An exceptional collaboration was made on Linda Ronstadt’s 1987 milestone album, “Canciones de Mi Padre,” and her sequel album, “Mas Canciones” (released in 1992), also resulted in a widely successful nationwide tour.
Piano by Nature hopes you will join us for a deep dive into the mariachi traditions of Mexican folk music, which hail back as far as the 18th-Century, and we also look forward to gaining insight into the incredible mentorship system which has kept mariachi alive for so long.
Join us online Saturday, February 12th at 7PM EST for an inspired concert of culturally rich and vibrant music performed by Sergio Alonso and the Los Angeles-based Mariachi Los Camperos, considered by many to be the finest mariachi ensemble in the world. See you there!
To join this free concert, sign-up on the Piano by Nature email list at the bottom of any page of our website and we will send you updates and the link needed for the concert closer to the date. VIVA el mariachi en las Adirondacks!
Educator, scholar, and multi-instrumentalist, Sergio “Checo” Alonso is a committed advocate for the preservation and dissemination of traditional Mexican music. A graduate of UCLA’s Department of Ethnomusicology and a 25-year member of the world-renowned, Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano, Alonso has performed in many of the most prestigious concert halls in North America and has worked with some of today’s most revered Latin music recording artists, including Linda Ronstadt, Jose Feliciano, Vikki Carr, Caetano Veloso, Lila Downs, Aida Cuevas, Marco Antonio Solis, Pepe Aguilar, and Alejandro Fernando. His performance credits have also spanned across other music genres through tours and/or recordings with international artists such as The Chieftains, Los Lobos, Ry Cooder, Ozomatli, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and the New York City Opera.
As an educator and scholar, Alonso has dedicated his career in teaching the Mexican musical traditions in the community of San Fernando and throughout the United States. He served as the Cultural Arts Commissioner for the City of San Fernando and as a delegate on the National Association for Music Education’s (MENC) Mariachi Advisory Committee where he wrote various articles on mariachi and harp performance for academic publications. Since 2001 Alonso has been an instructor for the award-winning and nationally recognized youth arts-in-education program, the City of San Fernando Mariachi Master Apprentice Program (MMAP).
Alonso’s honors and awards include multiple Grammy Nominations (2005, 2016) and Grammy Awards (2004, 2008, 2020), a Durfee Foundation Master Musician Fellowship (2006) and for his work with MMAP, the 2012 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, the nation’s highest honor given to youth arts and humanities programs bestowed by First Lady, Michelle Obama.
Alonso serves as the Chair for the Department of Music at San Fernando High School where he also is the musical director for the Mighty Tigers Marching Band and Mariachi Los Tigres de San Fernando. Currently, Alonso is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Music Education at Boston University.
“La Morena” (live concert performance, Hollywood, CA)
“Orange Blossom Special” (live concert performance, Overland Park, KS)
The Grammy award winning ensemble, Mariachi Los Camperos was founded in 1961 by Jose Natividad “Nati” Cano Ruiz. Mr. Cano played a fundamental role in the development of mariachi music in the United States by training and mentoring new generations of mariachi musicians. The Mariachi “Giant” was a visionary leader that wanted to take the mariachi performance out of customary locations such as Cantinas and into concert halls where celebrities performed. Nati Cano fulfilled his dream by presenting Los Camperos and performing at casinos in Las Vegas, Reno, Sparks, Lake Tahoe and other places where mariachis had never previously performed. Los Camperos became well known and in 1964, they were the first Mariachi to perform in New York’s Carnegie Hall. In 1969, Mr. Cano opened the first ever Mariachi Dine and Show at “La Fonda Casa de Los Camperos” now known as a Landmark in the city of Los Angeles, California. Today, mariachi restaurants all over the world are modeled after La Fonda.
Mariachi Los Camperos, one of the most popular mariachi ensembles in the world, is noted for innovative shows and distinction as a concert ensemble. The group has performed for over 60 years on stage and television, including various PBS specials, “In Performance at the White House”, “The Spirit of Mexico”, “Viva La Tradicion” and others. Motion pictures such as: “Sex in the City 2”, “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” “Jerry Maguire” and many more. The Grammy Award-winning ensemble has recorded and performed with many artist including Pedro Fernandez, Pepe Aguilar, Angeles Ochoa, Eugenia Leon, Lila Downs, Alejandro Fernandez, Luis Miguel and many more. Including, the collaboration on Linda Ronstadt’s 1987 milestone album, “Canciones de Mi Padre” and Ronstadt’s sequel album, “Mas Canciones” (released in 1992), they toured with the singer nationwide.
On October 3rd, 2014, Los Camperos mourned the death of Nati Cano. His passing was greatly felt by followers, students and performers worldwide. Mr. Cano left the group to the musical director, Jesus “Chuy” Guzman whom has served as the musical director since 1992.
Chuy Guzman is known for his musical arrangements that highlight the skills and voices of the group. He is widely recognized as arranger, director, instructor, and musician in the genre of Mariachi music. Mr. Guzman has served as head instructor for numerous international mariachi festivals in the United States and Mexico. He is the Musical Director for the Mariachi Master Apprentice Program (MMAP) in San Fernando and continues as the instructor for Music of Mexico, at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Under Guzman’s Direction, in 2006 Mariachi Los Camperos received a Grammy nomination for their Album “Llegaron Los Camperos”, In 2008 Mariachi Los Camperos took home a Grammy Award for Best Regional Mexican Music Album with “Amor, Dolor y Lagrimas”. They later released a 2015 Grammy-nominated musical tribute to Nati Cano called: Tradición, Arte, y Pasión, this album gave Mariachi Los Camperos a Grammy nomination. Determined for a Grammy Award, In January 2020 at the 62nd Grammy award celebration, Mariachi Los Camperos took home another Grammy Award with their album release “De Ayer Para Siempre” for Best Regional Mexican Music Album.
“Estrellita” (Live concert performance)
“Spain Medley” (live concert performance w/Symphony Orchestra of Jalisco, MX)
Please consider sending a donation to Piano by Nature to help us continue to support our artists and deliver exceptional live music to the North Country and beyond. You can mail a check to Piano by Nature, 32 Champlain Ave., Westport, NY 12993. Or donate online through the Donate button below (using your Paypal account or credit card). If you have questions or ideas, feel free to call Rose at 518.962.8899. I’d love to hear from you.
This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts. Made possible also, in part, by the Essex County Arts Council Cultural Assistance Program Grant supported by the Essex County Board of Supervisors.
