Sinfonia Mexicana Presents Concert Remembering Latino Legends

SAN BERNARDINO>> Sinfonia Mexicana will present “Recuerdos” (Remembrance) Sunday, Oct. 23 at 4 p.m. honoring Latino Legends as their annual Dia de Los Muertos presentation. The event will be at the Whitmer Auditorium at Colton High School, located at 777 W. Valley Blvd. Legends that well be honored are, Selena, Richie Valens, Rocio Durcal, famed Mariachi singer and song writer, Jose Alfredo Jimenez and the recently deceased Juan Gabriel. Singers Melinda and Rafael Palomar will Sing “Amor Eterno” which Gabriel wrote honoring his mother on her death. Tickets range from $25, $20 and $15 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available at the Sinfonia Mexicana office at the California Theatre 562 W. Fourth St., in San Bernardino, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday, or by calling 909-884-3228. Palomar was born in the port of Veracruz, México, and started started playing in the Plaza Garibaldi with different groups at the age of 13, while studying at the Escuela Libre de Música in México City. Directed by his father Roman Palomar, Rafael performed with Mariachi Charros de Ameca for 15 years. The group cut their first recording of the famous song Mariachi Loco, composed by his father. Later, Palomar had the tremendous opportunity to become a member of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, with whom he traveled to many countries including the USA, Japan, Holland, Canada, China, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Peru and others. They accompanied many singers, including Lucha Villa, Lucero, Beatriz Adriana, Estela Nuñez, Aída Cuevas, Guadalupe Pineda, and more. Palomar currently resides in Sylmar, California and is the lead instructor for music and performances for the Sinfonia Mexicana Mariachi Youth Academy. At the young age of two, Melinda’s parents knew she had it. She was already singing on the radio in her hometown of Fresno and performing all over the state of California, from festivals to Dodger Stadium. Melinda is now a two-time Grammy Award winning and Latin Grammy Award winning participant that enjoys sharing her love for music. The Mariachi Youth Academy will also perform during the concert. The Sinfonia Mexicana of San Bernardino established the Mariachi Youth Academy in February 2009 at the Sturges Center for the Fine Arts for area youth to learn and perform mariachi music as well as understand its origins and cultural significance. The Academy’s mission – is to establish a continuing and comprehensive course of study that will challenge and enhance the student’s ability to read music, master their instruments and enhance stage presence through the art of performing mariachi music. The Academy has performed at the House of Blues in Anaheim and the California Theatre of the Performing Arts in San Bernardino. They have performed with some of the best Mariachis in the world, including Mariachi Vargas De Tecalitlan, Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez Grammy award winning Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea, Symphonic Mariachi Champaña de Jeff Nevin and the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra. On Saturday, May 14, 2016 the Sinfonia Mexicana Mariachi Youth Academy competed against 15 Mariachi student groups at the annual “Battle of the Mariachi” at Mission San Juan Capistrano. The San Bernardino group placed second to the Tucson, AZ youth group, which made them the highest rated group from California in their age bracket. The academy staff includes Oscar Tostado, Director-Mariachi Youth Academy; Maria Saenz, Assistant Director Mariachi Youth Academy; Rafael Palomar former lead singer for Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán; Martin Barboza, music major, graduate of California State University, San Bernardino; Jonathan Palomar member of Mariachi Los Camperos and Samuel Nolasco former member of Mariachi Uclatan. Lastly, the well-known Ballet Folklorico Flores del Desierto will perform during the concert. Flores del Desierto Dance Company was established over 20 years ago in the High Desert and is under the artistic direction of Irma Aguilar. Classes for the Folklorico group are held at the Multi-Cultural Dance Center in Hesperia, where students as young as four years to senior adults are taught. The group has performed at many southland locations including the California Theater of the Performing Arts in San Bernardino, San Diego Symphony Hall, L.A. County Fair, San Bernardino County Fair, National Orange show with Freddie Fender, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans Happy Trails Organization, Fontana’s Fiesta de Las Americas, Victor Valley College, and other events.