Last spring, Vicki Burrichter came across a Rolling Stone story, and it stuck with her.
The article, titled “How a High School Mariachi Team Triumphed in Uvalde,”included a photo of a teen musician dressed in bordeaux-colored mariachi trajes, violin in hand. The young musicians from Uvalde High School, pictured throughout, had made history last year by becoming the school’s first group to compete at the state level in Texas’s annual interscholastic mariachi festival. Featured in the story was a “tireless teacher” who motivated these students, initially reluctant to commit to the demanding practice required, and helped turn them into state champions.
Burrichter, artistic director of the Boulder Chorale’s concert and chamber choral groups, felt moved by the band leader’s commitment to his students. She was also inspired by how, in the wake of the horrific school shooting in the Uvalde community the prior year, he and his students were clinging to something to celebrate: their music.
“I thought, ‘This guy seems amazing,’” Burrichter said.
She tracked down the teacher’s email and sent a message, asking if he would be interested in bringing his award-winning student band, Mariachi Los Coyotes, to Boulder for a concert.
“Vicki has a huge heart, and she was incredibly persistent,” said Albert Martinez, the “tireless teacher” on the receiving end of Burrichter’s message. ”So I thought, man, what an opportunity.’”
While there were a number of logistics to work out, both collaborators professed, Burrichter’s email paved the way for Mariachi Los Coyotes to headline Boulder Chorale’s Fiesta de las Luces. The multi-day event, running Tuesday, April 23, through Sunday, April 28, features workshops and performances, culminating with public concerts at the First United Methodist Church in Boulder and the Vance Brand Civic Auditorium at Skyline High School in Longmont — during which Mariachi Los Coyotes will be backed by the chorale’s 125-voice choir. The Boulder Children’s Chorale’s Bel Canto will also perform. The events aim to uplift Mexican music, while also building connections between communities through music.
Initially, Burrichter thought about Uvalde and Boulder’s shared tragic experiences with mass shootings as she envisioned the potential collaboration. But while music has the capacity to “reach in and go directly for the emotions, bypassing everything else, right for the heart,” Burrichter said, she also understood that music can’t mend everything.
“I wanted to have this be a celebration, instead of a grieving,” she said.
But one thing was clear to Burrichter from those earlier conversations: The groups would perform together, and Boulder Chorale members would learn some mariachi music from the Uvalde musicians.
“We do a lot of the standard choral music, Bach and Beethoven and all that,” Burrichter said. “But my real interest and strength is in outreach to diverse communities, and collaboration with musicians from around the world as a way of celebrating different cultures, but also educating audiences and singers.” She added that the Concert Chorale will also perform music from the Mexican Baroque and Renaissance styles during the concerts, as well as a modern work from a young composer living in Mexico.
Martinez, who has been Uvalde High School’s mariachi director since 2021, fully supported the music groups sharing a stage. But he wanted something more for his students as well. He wanted the trip to be an educational experience and an opportunity for the teen musicians to expand their networks. To facilitate this, Martinez will lead a free mariachi workshop at Skyline High School in Longmont on Wednesday, April 24, concluding with a jam session.
“Our kids are going to teach their kids a song, and we’re just going to try to collaborate with them and try to make connections,” he said. “And in 10 years, you never know. You make a phone call and they say, ‘Hey, I remember you came here. We did this together.”
Martinez thinks “music encompasses everything,” and that’s why he believes it’s important for young people to learn how to play and sing, regardless of theirmusical aspirations.
“You can play with anybody in the whole world because you don’t need to know their language to play beside somebody,” he said. “It shows the students respect, responsibility. It shows them to do things over and over and over even though maybe they don’t want to. That’s my goal, is to teach them that life isn’t gonna be easy, but you’ve got to make sure that you keep moving forward.”
Uvalde High School junior Arianna Ovalle, who plays the violin with Mariachi Los Coyotes, was excited by the idea of traveling to Colorado and performing with the Boulder Chorale when Martinez presented it to the band.
“I’m looking forward to meeting new people and having a good time over there,” she said. “We’re just really excited to be a part of it and then share our music.”
Ovalle has been playing mariachi since the seventh grade and said she most enjoys how the music challenges her as a musician.
“The music, it’s also very cultural, and it makes me proud to be able to play it,” Ovalle said.
As for Martinez, he’s excited to witness his students perform with the Boulder Chorale.
“When they have 100-plus people singing behind them, they’re gonna get chills. These kids are gonna cry, they’re gonna love it,” he said. “I think it’s just going to be an experience like [they’ve never had].”
Fiesta de Las Luces: Songs of Mexico runs April 23 – 25, culminating with a concert at First United Methodist Church in Boulder on Saturday, April 27 at 4 p.m. and a second concert on Sunday, April 28 at 4 p.m. at Skyline High School’s Vance Brand Auditorium in Longmont, among other events.
