FIESTA NAVIDAD to Return to the Segerstrom Center, 12/23

Segerstrom Center for the Arts welcomes back the world renowned, Grammy- winning Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano for a celebratory evening of Mexican and American holiday songs, inspired choreography performed by Folklor Pasio?n Mexicana as well as audience sing-alongs in Fiesta Navidad on December 23 in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. This joyful concert also features the Latin Christmas tradition of La Posada, the reenactment of Joseph and Mary's pilgrimage to Bethlehem.

Tickets to Fiesta Navidad start at $29 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 20 or more, call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236. The TTY number is (714) 556-2746.

Mariachi Los Camperos was founded by Natividad "Nati" Cano. A traditionalist and a visionary, Cano has both honored and shaped the history of mariachi music. He was born in 1933 into a family of mariachi musicians in Jalisco, Mexico, one of the many west Mexican communities that gave life to the mariachi tradition. His career took him first to nearby Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest city, and then to Los Angeles, California. In Los Angeles, he and Mariachi Los Camperos emerged as a major driving force of the mariachi music tradition in the United States.

In December 2006, Cano's contributions to the American music landscape were recognized when he became one of the first artists nationwide to win a USA Fellowship from United States Artists. In its inaugural year, United States Artists awarded 50 USA Fellowships to a total of 54 artists. From among those artists, Cano was one of only five musicians to be named a USA Fellow in the inaugural year.

Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano has existed for more than 50 years and is noted for demanding musical arrangements that highlight the individual skills and voices of the players. The ensemble employs the finest musicians from Mexico and the United States and has performed for audiences worldwide. Their current musical director is Jesus "Chuy" Guzman.

Mariachi Los Camperos was one of four mariachis that collaborated on Linda Ronstadt's album, Canciones de Mi Padre (Songs of my Father). In 1988-89, the group worked on the promotion of the album, including national television appearances on programs including The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and the Grammy Awards show. They also appear on Linda Ronstadt's Mas Canciones (More Songs).

The ensemble has recorded nine albums, including Puro Mariachi (Indigo Records, 1961), North of the Border (RCA/Carino Records, 1965), El Super Mariachi, Los Camperos (Latin International, 1968), Valses de Amor (La Fonda Records, 1973), Canciones de Siempre (PolyGram Latino, 1993), Sounds of Mariachi (Delfin Records, 1996), Fiesta Navidad (Delfin Records, 1997), Viva el Mariachi (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 2003) and Llegaron Los Camperos, (Smithsonian Folkways, 2005). Los Camperos shared a 2005 Best Musical Album for Children Grammy for cELLAbration!, A tribute to Ella Jenkins. In 2006, the album Llegaron Los Camperos was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Mexican/Mexican- American Album. In 2008, the group released their third CD with Smithsonian Folkways, titled Amor, Dolor y La?grima, that won the 2009 Grammy for Best Regional Mexican Album.

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.