Orange County’s first collegiate Mariachi ensemble debuts this fall in Chapman University’s Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music Winter Showcase on December 12, 2020. Led by Dr. Tammy Yi, Mariachi Panteras (Panthers) is dedicated to the performance of traditional Mexican music, including the son, huapango, corrido, polka, and ranchera genres learned by ear, using traditional instruments such as the violin, guitar, trumpet, harp, vihuela Mexicana, Guitarrón, and voice.

Open to all Chapman students by audition (as are all of the conservatory’s performance ensembles), this semester’s class is a diverse group of students majoring in music education and music performance, as well as a guest artist who teaches Mariachi at Santa Ana High School.

video conference screen shot of nine mariachi student musicians

Mariachi Panteras (photo courtesy of Tammy Yi)