Mel Bay Mariachi Favorites for Solo Guitar
Laura Garciacano Sobrino was eight years old when she began playing classical violin at her elementary school in Watsonville, California. A 1972 graduate of Aptos High School, Laura was a charter member of the Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony and enjoyed performing in string quartets. While studying for her B.A. at the University of California, she began exploring the mariachi music world as a semi-professional performer in 1975, making her one of the first women in the to enter this predominately male genre. Upon completing her studies, she moved to Los Angeles to perform professionally. She became the first woman to play in the groups Mariachi Los Galleros de Pedro Rey and Mariachi Sol de Mexico, both considered among the nation's best. Laura Sobrino was also the founding musical director and lead violinist for the all-female mariachi show group Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles. Currently, Mrs. Sobrino is the Musical Director and a violinist for the innovative all-female mariachi show group Mariachi Mujer 2000.Among her greatest contributions to the mariachi world are her over 25 years of instruction provided to aspiring mariachi musicians, music educators, and other professionals, both young and old, in her home, colleges, music conferences and other instructional venues.Her transcriptions have made mariachi music, which for generations was transmitted only by ear, accessible to all. Her transcriptions not only provide a window into the many traditional forms but they also capture authentic mariachi style