A Grammy Award-winning, all-female Mariachi band is coming to Elgin for a celebratory performance.
The Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea, led by founder and trumpeter Cindy Shea, will perform at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 24, at The Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin. Audiences will hear its arrangements of traditional mariachi classics as well as pop and jazz-infused Latin hits.
“They can expect a very diverse show of music because mariachi is so beautiful we can get you dancing, laughing and crying the same hour,” Shea said. “Mariachi brings out a lot of emotion in people. A lot of memories for those who remember loved ones who are not there anymore. Music can bring back beautiful memories of family times. We try to play music of all generations, from something more contemporary to the old classics.
“It’s all about celebration — celebrating life and culture,” she said. “That’s important. In the time we are in right now, with a lot of people feeling uneasy with everything happening in the world, I think that music is healing and that’s our job. To just bring happiness.”
Formed in 1999, the group has members all over the country, Shea said. Eleven will be on stage in Elgin. The show will feature traditional Mariachi instrumentation, including the guitarrón (bass), a vihuela (a smaller guitar), a guitar and violins.
“We have a flute player who is from Chicago, so she never misses anywhere when the plane lands in the Chicago airport,” she said.
Shea rounds out the group on the trumpet.
Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea is the first all-female Mariachi band to be nominated for — and to win — a Grammy. In total, they have 11 nominations and two Grammy wins for Best Regional Mexican Music Album.
The Mariachi Divas have a new album coming out May 29, with the lead-off single called “Risk It All,” a Bruno Mars cover. The group recorded it in both English and Spanish, with the latter featuring singer Melinda Salcido. The album also has collaborations with artists like Grammy-award winning group, Mariachi Los Camperos led by Jesús “Chuy” Guzmán, along with original material, she said.
“It’s a very strong album. It’s called ‘Sin Fronteras,’ which means ‘without borders,’ and that’s how we feel right now, that music has no borders and brings everyone together,” she said. “That’s why on the album there’s a lot of diversity. I even did a collaboration with Kalani (Pe’a), from Maui, Hawaii. He sang in his native language the American classic, ‘You Are so Beautiful.’ It’s really pretty. There’s a lot of beautiful collabs on it, it’s a very different type of album for Mariachi Divas.”
It’s the group’s 22nd album.
Shea started playing the trumpet at age 8. She leaned heavily into her jazz influences with the intent of becoming an educator or band leader. She was working towards a degree in music education at California State University at Fullerton when she was invited by Arturo Sandoval to study jazz performance at Florida International University in Miami.
“Everything shifted at that point,” she said. “I had a lot of vision. I knew what I wanted. I knew that I wanted to record albums and write music and compose and release music. … I knew I wanted to get a record deal. I had very high-level dreams as a young 20-year-old. I knew the only way to do that was to start my own group so that’s what I did.”
In addition to her group playing parties and other family celebrations, she knew she wanted to write music and record albums and play to filled theater halls.
“I love that about Mariachi Divas. If it’s one thing we are, it’s attainable,” she said. “I like the fact that we are still the group that can a wedding or a quinceanera or a funeral with five of us and send somebody off with that music. I love that we’re still grounded, but we can still play on huge stages.”
In fact, for 21 years, Mariachi Divas was the official mariachi band at Disneyland Resort.
People will love the show, she said, and it’s a great way to enjoy the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
“It’s going to be beautiful. It’s something you don’t get see very often,” she said.
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the Courier-News.
