Besides being members of this ensemble, each member continues to lead their own imaginative ensembles
PLEASE SEE BIOS below for links on each player
PLEASE SEE BIOS below for links on each player
Alfredo López Mondragón
Instruments of Mexico, Latin and South America
including jarana, guitar, guitarra huapanguera, vocals
Instruments of Mexico, Latin and South America
including jarana, guitar, guitarra huapanguera, vocals
ALFREDO LOPEZ is based in Mexico and in the U.S. and is the founder and director
of the well-known folkloric music ensemble Quetzalcoatl.
http://www.lunablanca.com/eng_quetzalcoatl_about.php
He has mastered more than 20 styles of Latin American traditional music,
skillfully plays more than 30 instruments and is also a superb vocalist.
Alfredo has performed extensively throughout Latin America, Europe and North America.
He has made on-camera appearances and composed songs which have been included
in films such as:
The Net, starring Sandra Bullock,
Luminarias, starring Scott Bakula and Robert Beltran,
and American Me, produced and directed by Edward James Olmos,
who also stars in the film,
and most recently
The Maldonado Miracle,
produced and directed by Salma Hayek for Showtime.
At the age of 13, he joined a local youth musical group playing guitar, requinto
(a small Mexican guitar) and mandolin. Soon, Alfredo mastered the tres cubano,
the national instrument of Cuba; a guitar with three pairs of steel strings, and formed a trio, Huemac,
performing Mexican and Cuban romantic popular songs in restaurants,
hotels and bars in Mexico City, Michoacán, Veracruz and Querétaro.
He began private formal musical studies and taught traditional music and dance in Mexico City
and in rural communities in Oaxaca, Jalisco, and Michoacán, at this time he was attending the Instituto Politecnico
Nacional in Mexico City and with fellow students formed the group Los Chicahuastles. Alfredo then resumed private studies,
this time with Adrian Nieto Arenas, a member of the renowned group Los Folkloristas of Mexico.
In 2002, Alfredo composed and directed the music for the pageant play “La Virgen de Guadalupe” for the
Latino Theater Company of Los Angeles. The theatre piece was directed by film and theatre director Jose Luis
Valenzuela, and was the first play to be performed at the new Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in Los Angeles.
In addition to touring and performing with Quetzalcoatl, Alfredo teaches Latin American folkloric music in
Mexico and Los Angeles, CA.
ALFREDO LOPEZ WEBSITE
http://www.lunablanca.com/eng_quetzalcoatl_about.php
ALFREDO LOPEZ ON FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/alfredo.m.52?fref=tsa
of the well-known folkloric music ensemble Quetzalcoatl.
http://www.lunablanca.com/eng_quetzalcoatl_about.php
He has mastered more than 20 styles of Latin American traditional music,
skillfully plays more than 30 instruments and is also a superb vocalist.
Alfredo has performed extensively throughout Latin America, Europe and North America.
He has made on-camera appearances and composed songs which have been included
in films such as:
The Net, starring Sandra Bullock,
Luminarias, starring Scott Bakula and Robert Beltran,
and American Me, produced and directed by Edward James Olmos,
who also stars in the film,
and most recently
The Maldonado Miracle,
produced and directed by Salma Hayek for Showtime.
At the age of 13, he joined a local youth musical group playing guitar, requinto
(a small Mexican guitar) and mandolin. Soon, Alfredo mastered the tres cubano,
the national instrument of Cuba; a guitar with three pairs of steel strings, and formed a trio, Huemac,
performing Mexican and Cuban romantic popular songs in restaurants,
hotels and bars in Mexico City, Michoacán, Veracruz and Querétaro.
He began private formal musical studies and taught traditional music and dance in Mexico City
and in rural communities in Oaxaca, Jalisco, and Michoacán, at this time he was attending the Instituto Politecnico
Nacional in Mexico City and with fellow students formed the group Los Chicahuastles. Alfredo then resumed private studies,
this time with Adrian Nieto Arenas, a member of the renowned group Los Folkloristas of Mexico.
In 2002, Alfredo composed and directed the music for the pageant play “La Virgen de Guadalupe” for the
Latino Theater Company of Los Angeles. The theatre piece was directed by film and theatre director Jose Luis
Valenzuela, and was the first play to be performed at the new Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in Los Angeles.
In addition to touring and performing with Quetzalcoatl, Alfredo teaches Latin American folkloric music in
Mexico and Los Angeles, CA.
ALFREDO LOPEZ WEBSITE
http://www.lunablanca.com/eng_quetzalcoatl_about.php
ALFREDO LOPEZ ON FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/alfredo.m.52?fref=tsa
Jorge Herrera
Instruments of Mexico, Latin and South America
accordion, jarana, requinto, violin
vocals
Instruments of Mexico, Latin and South America
accordion, jarana, requinto, violin
vocals
Besides being an amazing musician Jorge also holds a PHD in ethnomusicology,
is the patriarch of his familias ensemble LOS HERMANOS HERRERA
http://www.hermanosherrera.com/
and is a professor of Chicano Studies at California State University, Fullerton (CSU Fullerton)
He teaches several Chicana/o music and Mexican history classes in the Chicana/o Studies department at CSU Fullerton.
JORGE ANDRES HERRERA WEBSITE
http://www.hermanosherrera.com/Jorge_Andres.html
JORGE ANDRES HERRERA ON FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/jorgeandherrera?fref=ts
Christopher Garcia
cajon, Mexican tambourine, huehuetl, marimba, quijada, percussion,
vocals
cajon, Mexican tambourine, huehuetl, marimba, quijada, percussion,
vocals
Christopher Garcia is a musician, composer, educator who continues to perform his music and others
on 5 continents bringing a unique sense of rhythm color and musicality to any musical endeavor he is
invited to perform with.
CHRISTOPHER GARCIA MUSIC WEBSITE
http://christophergarciamusic.weebly.com/bio.html
CHRISTOPHER GARCIA MUSIC ON FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/ChristopherGarciaMusic?fref=ts&ref=br_t
on 5 continents bringing a unique sense of rhythm color and musicality to any musical endeavor he is
invited to perform with.
CHRISTOPHER GARCIA MUSIC WEBSITE
http://christophergarciamusic.weebly.com/bio.html
CHRISTOPHER GARCIA MUSIC ON FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/ChristopherGarciaMusic?fref=ts&ref=br_t
Jerónimo (Jxel) Rajchenberg
guitar, leona, requinto jarocho, percussion
vocals
guitar, leona, requinto jarocho, percussion
vocals
Mexican composer who blends electroacoustic, traditional and contemporary music.
Jxel completed his Doctorate degree in Performer-Composer program at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) 2012-2015.
Master of Fine Arts at the California Institute of the Arts in 2012 in the Performer-Composer Program.
He has performed in concert halls and international festivals in Mexico, United States, Argentina and El Salvador.
His music has been recorded in 7 albums and a DVD, collaborating with musicians such as Horacio Franco, Nadeszha Borislova, Saba Alizadeh and Tim Carr, among others. Two of these albums recorded at Capitol Records (CalArts Jazz CD 2011 and 2012).
Director of the Mexican New Music Ensemble at CalArts.
His last commission was an international project (México-Argentina-United States-Colombia) called Altazor, held by Radio UNAM (Mexico's National University's Radio Station), combining music, dance and experimental projections.
Jury of the International Computer Music Conference, Stony Brooks University (New York) in 2009.
Music teacher and lecturer for the project CAP Rio's first edition, working with 25 young kids in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in July 2012.
As a choreographer he has been part of several international projects:
has won several prizes in the San Diego International Film Festival and the Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia.
JXEL RAJCHENBERG WEB INFO
http://www.jxelmusic.com/
JXEL RAJCHENBERG ON FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/jxelr?fref=ts
Jxel completed his Doctorate degree in Performer-Composer program at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) 2012-2015.
Master of Fine Arts at the California Institute of the Arts in 2012 in the Performer-Composer Program.
He has performed in concert halls and international festivals in Mexico, United States, Argentina and El Salvador.
His music has been recorded in 7 albums and a DVD, collaborating with musicians such as Horacio Franco, Nadeszha Borislova, Saba Alizadeh and Tim Carr, among others. Two of these albums recorded at Capitol Records (CalArts Jazz CD 2011 and 2012).
Director of the Mexican New Music Ensemble at CalArts.
His last commission was an international project (México-Argentina-United States-Colombia) called Altazor, held by Radio UNAM (Mexico's National University's Radio Station), combining music, dance and experimental projections.
Jury of the International Computer Music Conference, Stony Brooks University (New York) in 2009.
Music teacher and lecturer for the project CAP Rio's first edition, working with 25 young kids in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in July 2012.
As a choreographer he has been part of several international projects:
- Running into the Political Equators (Líbano-Israel-United States-México-Morocco-Spain)
- El Charango with the Danish dancer and choreographer Anne Marie Kristensen
- Unlikely Mechanism of Disposal with Anne Moore (United States)
- UVA-Plaza de la Raza with kids dancers (México-United States).
has won several prizes in the San Diego International Film Festival and the Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia.
JXEL RAJCHENBERG WEB INFO
http://www.jxelmusic.com/
JXEL RAJCHENBERG ON FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/jxelr?fref=ts