 History
During the 2003-2004 academic year, there was a growing interest at UNT to start a mariachi ensemble. Dr. Donna Emmanuel found Daniel F. Cantú, an undergraduate student at UNT, to direct the ensemble. Rehearsals began in the spring of 2004. Mariachi Aquilas began as a student organization and became a class in the fall of 2005. We play traditional Mexican folk music and perform concerts and UNT events, as well as weddings, private parties, restaurants, public schools, etc. We traveled to the MoUNTain Music Institute in Crested Butte, Colorado in the summer of 2005 and were invited back for the summer of 2006.
Director
Daniel F. Cantú, the founding director of the Mariachi Aguilas, a student mariachi ensemble at the University of North Texas in Denton, is currently a student in music education at UNT. He is from San Antonio, Texas, and has been involved with mariachi music from an early age. He learned to play trumpet, sing and read music at a summer mariachi program called "Ariba El Verano." There he studied with Jose Torres and his mariachi "Los Diamantes." He has also performed with "Mariachi Aztlan," "Mariachi Campanas Juvenile" under the direction of Juan Ortiz, and later founded his own group, along with his brother Edwardo, called "Mariachi Sonidos De Mexico." He regularly performs with other ensembles at UNT, including jazz lab bands, the UNT Latin Jazz Ensemble, and Sinfonic Band.
Academic Sponsor
Dr. Donna Emmanuel
Membership Requirements
To join Mariachi Aguilas, you must register for the class, which is listed in the catalog as a vocal ensemble. You also must be able to sing and play one of the mariachi instruments: violin, trumpet, guitarron, vihuela, guitar, and folk harp. If you have harp, guitar, or string bass experience, you will probably be able to learn the guitarron, vihuela, or folk harp quite easily. You also must be able to attend rehearsals on Monday and Wednesday from 6:30-7:30PM and Friday from 4:00-5:00PM, as well as any scheduled sectionals.
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