Singers and Musicians to serenade Our Lady of Guadalupe Announced
Singers and Musicians to serenade Our Lady of Guadalupe at Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Announced
Faithful are welcomed back to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles for the annual celebration to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe on Thursday, December 11, the eve of her Feast. Today the Cathedral has announced the roster of singers and musicians to serenade the Virgin including the six-person norteño sax” band Los Primos del Este, mother-daughter ranchera duo Chelo and Yesenia Flores, and the 16-year-old singing contest winner Salma Parra. This year’s musical tribute, or serenata, will include the following performers and artists:
- Los Primos del Este: a six-piece Mexican-American band pioneering “norteño sax,” a modern take on norteño infused with saxophone. Their unique sound, a blend of norteño, sierreño, country, and corrido tumbados influences, has earned them millions of fans. With a mix of original songs and collaborations, they’re pushing boundaries and exploring new territories while staying true to their norteño sax roots. Los Primos del Este is more than just passionate vocals and unique sounds, they also are hands-on songwriters, pulling inspiration from their personal experiences, rural Mexican heritage and heartfelt memories.
- Salma Parra: this year’s top contestant of the very first singing competition earning a spot in the line-up of renowned artists to serenade Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Cathedral’s annual celebration. A 16-year-old self-taught vocalist and junior at Puente Hills High School, Salma was selected among dozens of entries from participants across Southern California.
- Jacky Ibarra: a Los Angeles native, was nominated as best new Christian artist and has performed at the Hollywood Bowl and St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Jacky has serenaded the Virgin on an annual basis at the Cathedral’s celebration for the past 23 years.
- Delilah: a rising Mexican-American singer-songwriter and musician who discovered songwriting early, penning a tune about heartbreak at age 4. After losing her abuelita, the singer expressed her emotions through writing songs and singing, leaning on music as a way to “calm her heart.” She’s kept her pulse on music ever since, studying mariachi and choir and picking up piano, guitar, vihuela, and violin while drawing inspiration from a diverse palette of artists.
- Fabio Capri: a young man of Mexican descent who, with the fusion of sounds and inspirations permeating his music, is carving his path to becoming one of the most unique Mexican artists in the music industry. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, he launched content creation on social media and has amassed millions of followers.
- Chelo and Yesenia Flores: Chelo is a Mexican singer, songwriter and actress who earned the historic achievement of becoming the first woman nominated in the Best Mexican-American Performance category at the 1984 GRAMMYs. Chelo and her daughter Yesenia Flores formed a whole era of ranchera music which led them to sing throughout Mexico, Central and South America, Canada, as well as throughout the United States. They traveled around the world in great artistic caravans with figures such as Juan Gabriel, Vicente Fernandez, Lola Beltran and Lucha Villa, among others.
- Mariachi Ángeles: led by the talented Pepe Martínez, Jr., will be accompanying the singers in serenading Our Lady of Gudalupe. Pepe Jr. draws on over 30 years of on-stage experience and the guidance of his father, the esteemed “Don Pepe,” whom he had the honor of working alongside for 23 years as a member of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán while honing his craft alongside world-class artists and gracing renowned stages worldwide.
The annual celebration on December 11 will begin at 6 p.m. with indigenous dancers and free seasonal treats on the Cathedral Plaza which will be illuminated by projections of Our Lady of Guadalupe and roses. Faithful may also venerate of the relic of the tilma of St. Juan Diego, on which the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared nearly 500 years ago. The Cathedral is home to the only relic of the tilma outside of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
At 10 p.m., the celebration continues inside the Cathedral with a special Rosary led by local Catholic high school students representing Bishop Conaty – Our Lady of Loretto High School, Bishop Mora Salesian High School and Sacred Heart High School who are part of Scholas USA established by the late Pope Francis more than 10 years ago when he served as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires with the goal of uniting young people from all over the world through education, creativity and the culture of encounter. The musical tribute, or serenata, begins at 11 p.m., with guest singers invited to serenade the Virgin and sing “Las Mañanitas,” a traditional Mexican birthday song to honor the Virgin on her Feast. The program will be in Spanish and the festivities will culminate with midnight Mass celebrated by Archbishop José H. Gomez.
The celebration is possible by the support of this year’s presenting partners Catholic Communication Collaboration (C3) and Catholic Cemeteries & Mortuaries of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. We are also grateful for Vallarta Markets, El Gallo Giro and Tacos Gavilan for their donations to the fiesta on the Cathedral Plaza; and EWTN and EWTN Español and El Sembrador for broadcasting the celebration.
The festivities commemorate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe recalling the miraculous apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Saint Juan Diego at Tepeyac Hill, Mexico City, in December 1531, when she left her image on his “tilma” or cloak. Her image has been a symbol of unity, peace, compassion, and hope for people around the world.
The celebration will be livestreamed on the Cathedral’s Facebook and YouTube pages, www.facebook.com/olacathedral and www.youtube.com/olacathedral.
For more information, please visit www.olacathedral.org/guadalupe.
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