Mariachi Real Monarcas stand performance ready. Photo courtesy of Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture

MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture is very pleased to announce the return of Mariachi music to its Sutter Theater Center for the Arts. Mariachi Real Monarcas from Sacramento is one of the most authentic Mariachi orchestras in California. Their roots are in Jalisco, Mexico, where mariachi music originated.  The band promises its audiences a good time that will leave everyone wanting for more.

The concert will be held on Saturday, February 17 starting at 7 pm at the Sutter Theater Center for the Arts, 754 Plumas Street in Yuba City. Doors will open at 6:30. General admission tickets are $35 and $10 for children under 18. The last two mariachi concerts sold out so don’t delay. Purchase tickets at yubasutterarts.org or call 530-742-2787. A portion of the proceeds will help support the new mariachi youth orchestra program currently being sponsored by the Alliance for Hispanic Advancement and the Marysville Joint Unified School District.

“Mariachi Real Monarcas was created by two people who decided to say, ‘yes’ to a dream more than a decade ago,” said Luis Quintero, co-founder of the group. “After all this time, the members are as motivated as ever because the music is never-ending. The love for the music runs through our veins,” he added.

The orchestra is made up of violins, trumpets, and guitars including a higher-pitched guitar called a vihuela, an acoustic bass guitar called a guitarrón, and a mariachi harp. All the players are virtuosos in their own right. They take turns singing the lead and doing backup vocals. Their traditional charro outfits add to the beauty and sincerity of the music.

The history of mariachi dates to the 18th century and evolved over time in the countryside of western Mexico. Modifications of the music over the years included influences from other musical genres, the addition of trumpets, and the use of charro outfits by mariachi musicians. There are many mariachi styles, but they include corridos, cumbias, boleros, ballads, marches, polkas, and waltzes. Most of the lyrics are about machismo, love, betrayal, death, politics, revolutionary heroes, and country life. The origin of the word, mariachi, is disputed, but it may come from the name of the wood used to make the wooden platform that couples would dance upon to the accompaniment of some early form of mariachi music.

Enjoy this concert in celebration of a unique musical form representing part of the wonderful cultural diversity of Yuba-Sutter.

Mariachi Real Monarcas stand dressed in white for a performance. Photo courtesy of Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture