There was a time when Janell Escalera hated mariachi music.
It’s hard to believe that the second-year ethnomusicology
student and mariachi performer ever felt this way because Escalera
now devotes her life to the art form.
Tonight Escalera will be performing with the rest of The Music
of Mexico Ensemble at Schoenberg Hall’s Jan Popper Theater.
She will be playing the violin and singing a solo piece entitled
“Echame a mi la culpa” (“Give me the
Blame”).
Escalera grew up in Brawley, Calif., a small town that borders
Mexico 30 minutes away from Calexico. She chose to come to UCLA for
her undergraduate degree partly because it was the only university
that offered the major she wanted and partly because of the
city’s diversity.
UCLA has a rich history of Mariachi music. In 1961 the first
university-based Mariachi group, later known as Mariachi
Uclatlán, was directed by Jesus Sanchez.
“I really wanted to come to L.A. for the longest time. I
wanted to be able to go see a play, or go to the beach, or to the
mountains all in half an hour,” Escalera said. “There
are so many opportunities here. It’s one of the main places
for music and Mariachi in California.”
The strong Mariachi presence Escalera sees in Los Angeles is
partially due to the fact that her favorite all-female Mariachi
group, Mariachi Mujer 2000, is based out of the city and performs
every year at the Hollywood Bowl during the Mariachi USA Festival.
Escalera also plans on becoming a performer herself and dreams of
joining Mariachi Mujer 2000 after college.
“I respect them and admire their professionalism.
It’s all women and totally directed by women. They also only
play at places that are going to give them what they’re
worth,” Escalera said.
Escalera has performed in recitals, weddings, funerals and
traditional birthday celebrations, or quinceañeras, since she
was five, but the naturally shy Escalera still gets nervous before
each performance.
“(Mariachi music) is an outlet for me to go and be another
person and get enveloped in the music,” Escalera said.
Escalera believes mariachi music is a beautiful expression of
her Mexican heritage and hopes to teach other generations to love
their culture. She plans to further her education at graduate
school in Ethnomusicology, and teach and perform Mariachi
music.
Ever since Escalera started playing in a Mariachi group in high
school she felt at home singing and performing mariachi music.
“Music is one of the most beautiful things that anyone can
learn from their culture,” Escalera said. “I’ve
learned that every culture has beauty in it and that you should
never be ashamed of where you come from.”
Music of Mexico Ensemble performs tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the
Jan Popper Theater. Admission is free.