Northwest Mariachi Festival

Wenatchee School District Wenatchee,Washington

Mariachi Festival Director

Juan Manuel Cortez

Juan Manuel Cortez was born in Mexicali, Baja California and is a third generation mariachi violinist. As a youth, he spent eight years studying the classical masters at the Conservatorio Nacional de Musica in Mexico City. At age fourteen, he took that musical knowledge to a mariachi band.

Mr. Cortez is a former member of several mariachi bands: Mariachi Oro y Plata, Mariachi 2000, Mariachi Aguilas de America, and Mariachi Mexico ’70 (in Mexico City). He moved to California in 1983 and played with the top mariachi bands in U.S.A.: Mariachi Los Camperos, Mariachi Uclatlan, and Mariachi Tlaquepaque. He was founder of Mariachi Los Gavilanes.

As Arranger, Juan Manuel has written music for famous singers such as Vicente Fernandez, Lucha Villa, Lola Beltran, Vicki Carr, Placido Domingo, and won a gold record with a Norwegian singer, Linny Treekrem.

Mr. Cortez taught mariachi music at UCLA, East L.A. College, Cal State College. He has been participating in the international mariachi workshops in Tucson, AZ, San Diego, CA, Fresno, CA, San Jose, CA, Chicago, IL, Albuquerque, NM, and Wenatchee, WA. “Este es mi Mexico,” “La India Triste,” “Tierra Indiana,” “Rehilete Mexicano,” and Pequeno Corazon” are some of his mariachi compositions.

For the past four years Juan Manuel has been producing for a Latin record company. Among his productions are: “Pura Miel” Lorenzo Antonio, Xparks, “Viajero del Amor,” Los Yonics, and the best selling mariachi album “Mariachi POP Vol. I and II.

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