Fadi Iskandar, Violin, Middle Eastern Musical Traditions, Tucson, AZ | 2022 Fadi Iskandar, a two-time awardee, is a master violinist from Syria with a deep musical understanding and knowledge of Middle Eastern music, theory, and culture. Trained as a young boy in classical violin, he then learned Middle Eastern music from elders in his community … Read more
Andrea Gallegos, Mariachi Director. Tucson, AZ | 2023 Andrea Gallegos, one of the first female mariachi directors in the Southwest, has been playing and singing mariachi music for 29 years. “In Mexico, Mariachi was predominantly a male genre, but in the United States, females of all ages now participate in Mariachi,” she says “At age … Read more
Rhonda Coleman, Capoeirista. Tucson, AZ | 2023 Rhonda Coleman (Contramestra Onda Mansa) is part of the capoeira community that springs from Grupo Capoeira Angola Guerreiro de Palmares, led by her teacher, Mestre Lazaro, a capoeira arts master in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. Coleman’s movement background includes West African, Honduran, and Afro-Brazilian dance. She has studied and … Read more
Maximiliano Larrea, Argentine Mestizon Guitarist. Tucson, AZ | 2023 Maximiliano Larrea is a master Argentine Mestizon guitarist. “This [term Metstizon] is significant,” Larrea says, “because Argentine tango has always been associated with European white immigrants, rendering invisible the many contributions of mestizo performers like myself. He has been playing, composing, and teaching tango and other styles … Read more
J. Javier Enríquez, Mariachi Composer & Director. Tucson, AZ | 2023 J. Javier Enríquez is a mariachi composer and director of Mexican-American/Chicano and Tohono O’odham ancestry. He has played guitar since age four, and began learning mariachi music at Tucson High School and studied voice in the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus. He now directs his … Read more
Porfirio “Pilo” Mora, Mata Ortiz Potter. Tucson, AZ | 2023 Porfirio “Pilo” Mora is a highly respected and influential artist in the world of Mata Ortiz Pottery, a renowned ceramic art that originated in the small village of Mata Ortiz in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. Pilo learned as a young boy from Emeterio Ortiz, … Read more