Founded
and directed by trumpet player Cindy Shea in 1999, Mariachi Divas
are making big waves on the national music scene. Mariachi Divas are
a unique, multi-cultural, all female ensemble, imbued with the true
flavor of Los Angeles and have been represented by women of Mexican,
Cuban, Samoan, Argentinean, Colombian, Panamanian, Puerto Rican,
Swiss, Japanese, Honduran, Peruvian, Tongan and Anglo descents.
Cindy Shea states, "Music is a way of uniting our cultural
backgrounds”. In 2009, Mariachi Divas won the Grammy Award for Best
Regional Mexican Album of the year for their 2008 release, Canciones
De Amor. This marks the first time in the history of the National
Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences that an all-female mariachi
group has been a nominee, or of course, a winner.
Mariachi Divas have appeared at Southern California venues such as
Arrowhead Pond, Universal Amphitheater, Staples Center, the Greek
Theatre, the Santa Barbara Bowl, the House of Blues, the LA Forum
for the 2005 Premio La Gente live TV awards show and the Shrine
Auditorium for the 2006 Alma Awards. They have also accompanied
Grammy- winning artists such as Joan Sebastian, Jenny Rivera, Marco
Antonio Solis, Pablo Montero, Graciela Beltran and Paulina Rubio.
The Divas have performed dozens of shows with the world-renowned
Mariachi Vargas.
Each January since 2001, the Divas have showcased their innovative
sounds at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM)
convention in Anaheim, California. They have performed at the Tucson
International Mariachi Concert, the Las Cruces Mariachi Conference
and the Fresno Radio Bilingue Mariachi Show. Mariachi Divas were
featured as one of the main televised acts, in front of over 500,000
people on the streets of downtown Los Angeles, at the largest Cinco
de Mayo celebrations in the world: the 14th and 15th Annual Fiesta
Broadway in 2003 and 2004. They have appeared at both the Los
Angeles and Orange County Fairs numerous times, as well as other
state and county fairs across the country. The Divas have not only
traveled throughout the USA for performances in Arizona, New Mexico,
Nevada, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming but also performed in Tampico,
Mexico in 2004. Mariachi Divas have appeared several times at the
John Anson Ford Theatre in Los Angeles, promoting and producing
their own shows there.
The Divas had the honor of performing at the inaugurations of Los
Angeles mayor, Antonio R. Villaraigosa and California governor,
Arnold Schwarzenegger. Since then, the Divas have performed for
several prestigious city and state events, including a February 2008
performance in Sacramento for a luncheon with Governor
Schwarzenegger and the President of Mexico. Also in February 2008,
the Divas were invited by Senator Hillary Clinton to her Los Angeles
presidential campaign rally, where they performed live on C-SPAN. In
November 2008, the Divas performed for the President of South Korea.
One of the group's most memorable experiences was the honor of
surprising international music star, Luis Miguel with the
traditional Mexican birthday song, “Las Mañanitas” on his birthday
in 2007.
Mariachi Divas have made numerous television appearances on shows
such as Despierta America, Cristina, Control, Vista LA, Primer
Impacto, Escandalo, LATV's Adelante Hispanos, Sabado Gigante, Off
the Roof, De Todo Un Poco, BBQ with Bobby Flay, Primera Edicion,
Atrevete, Futbol Mania, 12 Corazones, Quiero Mi Quince, Rojo Vivo,
T.V. Notas, and Bienvenido a Casa. The Divas appear in the mariachi
documentary, Viva El Mariachi and have taken roles as actors in
three independent films in which the Divas are part of an Art Film
with Lila Downs, Dead Man's Shoe and also, La Dentista, in which
music from their CD was used in the movie's soundtrack. In 2008,
Mariachi Divas were featured performers in an art film with Lila
Downs, called Ren, directed by world-renowned artist, Matthew
Barney. The Divas rendition of the Ricky Martin hit, “La Bomba” was
used in a film released in 2008 called, Julia. Mariachi Divas also
have two of their Christmas songs featured on Hallmark Cards with
Music- "Mi Burrito Sabanero" and "Año Viejo".
The Divas are proud to announce the national distribution of all
five of their CDs through Shea Records and East Side Records. Their
latest, 10 Aniversario, released in June 2009, commemorates the
group’s tenth year as Mariachi Divas.
Since September 2003, as the official mariachis of Disney in
Anaheim, the Divas continue to perform 7 days a week for audiences
of all ages, while strolling throughout the streets of Disney's
California Adventure.
Mariachi Divas' musicians are currently endorsed by LP Percussion,
Zeta Music, IntellitouchTuners, Soundback Acoustic Monitors, CodaBow
International, Marcinkiewicz, Bella Strings and LPD Music.
Never stepping too far from what brought them together, the sound of
mariachi rings though every song that is played, no matter what
style of music they choose to
PROFILE - Cindy Shea
Throughout her 26 years playing trumpet Cindy Shea
has studies with some of the greatest trumpet players in the world
including: Arturo Sandoval, Ron Stout, Wayne Bergeron, Bobby Shew,
Bill Bing, Kevin Brown, and Kevin Mayse. While studying music
education at Cal State University at Fullerton, Cindy came upon an
opportunity to play for Arturo Sandoval, an icon in the Latin Jazz
arena. Impressed by her musical knowledge and raw talent, he offered
Cindy a full paid Jazz Performance scholarship to study Jazz at
Florida International University where he would be her mentor and
teacher. When Cindy returned to Los Angeles after her studies she
found an opportunity to challenge herself in a new way not only as a
musician, but as a Band Leader, Business Owner, Record Producer,
Music Arranger, and in 1999 Mariachi Divas was born. Mariachi Divas
are a unique, multi-cultural, all female ensemble, imbued with the
true flavor of Los Angeles and have been represented by women of
Mexican, Cuban, Samoan, Argentinean, Colombian, Panamanian, Puerto
Rican, Swiss, Japanese, Honduran, Peruvian, Tongan and Anglo
descents. Cindy Shea states, "Music is a way of uniting our cultural
backgrounds”. Cindy’s experience with different genres of music has
allowed her to create her own style in the mariachi music scene that
stands out from the rest. After ten years of existence, she is very
proud of its multicultural, eclectic, and innovative sound.
In 2009, Cindy Shea and Mariachi Divas won the
Grammy Award for Best Regional Mexican Album of the year for their
2008 release, Canciones De Amor. This marks the first time in the
history of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences that
an all-female mariachi group has been a nominee, or of course, a
winner. Cindy also received the highest honor possible in the music
business winning a 2008 American Grammy Award for her latest CD,
Canciones De Amor” for Best Regional Mexican Album of the Year. She
also received a Grammy as Producer of the CD and for her own Record
Company, Shea Records. As the founder and director of Mariachi
Divas, she will continue to prove that music has no boundaries and
is not dictated by age, race or gender.
Cindy’s experience with different genres of music
has allowed her to create her own style in the mariachi music scene
that stands out from the rest. After ten years of existence, she is
very proud of its multicultural, eclectic, and innovative style and
sound.
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