Bronitsky and Associates Blog

We have been working with the US embassies in Albania and Macedonia to bring Mariachi Imperial de America to those countries.  We just got this–as you can see, they’re wowing audiences, just like they did in Armenia and China!

To learn more about these great performers, please click here.

(U) Mariachis Strike a Chord in Albania:  The “Mariachi Imperial de America” orchestra brought their festive music into the hearts of Albanians with performances before jam-packed, wildly cheering audiences in Elbasan and Korca on March 14 and 16.  In Elbasan, after their open-air concert on the main square, the band put on an impromptu performance in a local restaurant for a large birthday party gathering, at which guests threw fistfuls of dollars and Euros to the band members in gratitude.  At the municipal theatre in Korca, some in the audience commandeered wireless microphones to belt out some of the better known tunes (e.g., “Besame Mucho”); one elderly gentleman said he had been attending concerts in Korca for 60 years, but had never heard one to equal this.

Quote of the day:  “We have been oppressed for so long, and hearing this music makes me finally feel free.”  – Elder Albanian in Korca after listening to the Mariachi band perform.

Seems like I’ve barely had the chance to catch my breath since the last entry.  To bring you up-to-date–I’m not going with Mariachi Imperial de America to Albania and Macedonia, due to lack of sufficient funds, but audiences there are in for a real treat.  I still remember their tour of Armenia as an 8-day musical party.  What a pleasure!

And I just purchased the airplane tickets for Sami rights pioneer Magne Ove Varsi’s US tour–Texas, Arizona, Hawaii and Minnesota.  It’s going to be quite an experience, as he’ll be speaking at a human rights center, tribal colleges, and public universities too.  Still trying to figure out what to pack–Minnesota AND Hawaii in April?  Maybe fur-lined sandals?!

The highlight since my last post, of course, was the trip to Israel.  Ten very full days–sightseeing, friends, and family.  My new grandniece really is incredibly cute!  And two days packed with meetings with museums, embassy staffs, venues and organizations to share with them the power and diversity of Indigenous performing and visual artists from around the world, from Tibetan singers to Hopi reggae to Mexican son jarocho and so much more.  I really believe that much will come from these meetings–a museum is seriously considering an American Indian singer-songwriter, a puppet festival asked for materials from an Indigenous puppet theater, and an embassy is looking at materials that could lead to a veritable mini-festival.  Stay tuned!