About

Mission Statement

Mariachi Los Angeles represents the regional and progressive sounds of mariachi in Los Angeles while emphasising gender equality showcasing both men and women.

Mariachi Los Angeles is a group of professional musicians who celebrate and share Mexico's traditional and evolutionary music through performance. The ensemble chose its name purposefully to acknowledge mariachi music is thriving in the United States. Mariachi Los Angeles takes great responsibility in shaping the sound of mariachi's younger region of Los Angeles. The ensemble carefully balances the eclectic and innovative sounds of Los Angeles while holding true to the raw and beloved traditional sounds of the mariachi birthplace, Jalisco. Creating innovative and honorable evolutionary music to represent the Los Angeles region is one of two main missions Mariachi Los Angeles accomplishes.

Mariachi Los Angeles believes strongly in gender equality. There are numerous male ensembles and recently more and more female ensembles. Mariachi Los Angeles believes the most genuine form of equality is joining as one ensemble male and female. Mariachi Los Angeles is an example of love and celebration connecting not only United States and Mexico but also men and women. Mariachi Los Angeles represents a harmony within each other that shines through their music.

Meet the Directors

Ashlie is a musician who stays active in both the performance and teaching arena. She holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Music Education as well as a Teaching Credential from California State University, Northridge. She has worked with LAUSD, and local private middle and high schools teaching band and orchestra. Currently, Ashlie could not be happier to have a full roster in her private violin lesson studio in addition to working as a teaching artist with Harmony Project. Harmony Project is Los Angeles’ largest 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization solely dedicated to music education for low-income youth.

On the performance spectrum Ashlie has played spectacular venues with Grammy Award winning artists. Some venues and artists include, The Gibson Amphitheatre, Dolby Theatre, House of Blues, Valley Performing Arts Center, Ford Amphitheate with artists such as Intocable, Ramon Ayala, Reik, Jesse and Joy, Yuri, Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano. You can also catch Ashlie performing a couple of episodes on Fox’s TV show, “Glee” in seasons 3 and 4. More recently Ashlie has co-founded Mariachi Los Angeles with the help of Victor Manuel Villa. Mariachi Los Angeles will debut this November at The Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights.

Victor Manuel Villa is a talented multi-instrumentalist and composer/arranger specializing in the art of mariachi music. Victor comes from one of the most influential family lineages tracing back to the beginning of mariachi. Victor's grandfather is the legendary Justo Villa, known for his work in Cuarteto Coculense. His father, Epigmenio Villa was a violinist, arranger, and musical director of Mariachi Aguila.

Victor continued the family legacy playing with iconic mariachi groups such as Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano, Mariachi Los Galleros de Pedro Rey, and Mariachi Cobre. Victor studied at The Southern California Conservatory of Music where he studied composition under Lurrine Burgess. He also studied Baroque Violin with UCLA's late Shirley Marcus. Currently Victor is testing the limits of his mariachi arrangements as he aspires to create fresh and innovative sounds for today's contemporary mariachi.