Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan Makes Segerstrom Center Debut Tonight

The universally renowned and acclaimed Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán will perform for one night only tonight, November 29 at 8 p.m. at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, located at 615 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. Internationally acclaimed as "the best mariachi in the world," the group comes to the Center for a rare Orange County appearance.

Tickets for Mariachi Vargas start at $39 and are now available online at SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787. For inquiries about groups of 10 or more, call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236. The TTY number is (714) 556-2746.

Originally founded by Don Gaspar Vargas in the town of Tecalitlán, Mexico in 1898, this mariachi group has since starred in more than 200 movies and recorded dozens of albums of pasodobles, valses, bailables, polkas and danzones, as well as collaborated with various artists including Juan Gabriel and Linda Ronstadt.

Recently, the Houston Grand Opera turned to the ensemble's former legendary musical director, Jose? "Pepe" Marti?nez, to write the score and collaborate with librettist Leonard Foglia in creating the world's first mariachi opera, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna (To Cross the Face of the Moon), which premiered to sold out houses in Paris, Houston, Chicago and San Diego.

Currently, Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán continues to record and tour internationally..

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is unique as both an acclaimed arts institution and as a multi- disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed experiences, and engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring programs.

Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center traces its roots back to the late 1960s when a dedicated group of community leaders decided Orange County should have its own world-class performing arts venue.

As Orange County's largest non-profit arts organization, Segerstrom Center for the Arts owns and operates the 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall and intimate 250-seat Founders Hall, which opened in 1986, and the 2,000-seat Rene?e and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, which opened in 2006 and also houses the 500-seat Samueli Theater, the Lawrence and Kristina Dodge Education Center's studio performance space and Boeing Education Lab. A spacious arts plaza anchors Segerstrom Center for the Arts and is home to numerous free performances throughout the year as part of Segerstrom Center for the Arts' ongoing Free for All series.

The Center presents a broad range of programming each season for audiences of all ages from throughout Orange County and beyond, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza and many other special events. It offers many education programs designed to inspire young people through the arts. These programs reach hundreds of thousands of students of all ages with vital arts-in-education programs, enhancing their studies and enriching their lives well into the future.

In addition to the presenting and producing institution Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 14-acre campus also embraces the facilities of two independent acclaimed organizations: Tony Award®-winning South Coast Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region's major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.