Niwot High Mariachi Esmeralda Ensemble making big strides

Niwot High School is host to many music courses, ensembles, and after-school groups - it always has been. But recently there has been an increase in musical presence and student dedication.

That's not to say that music at NHS hasn't always been filled with exceptionally dedicated students and staff, but it feels that in recent years there has been a significant increase and fulfillment, making it desired by the larger student body.

The latest of these groups is the Niwot High School Mariachi Esmeralda Ensemble, a group started by Orchestra Director Keynes Chen back in 2020.

This ensemble had the opportunity to travel to Europe from March 14 - 21. Band members toured through Salzburg, Vienna, and Prague. One of the highlights and main purposes of the trip was their performance at the St. Andrä Cathedral in Salzburg.

"Based on what our travel agency told me," said Chen "we probably are the first public school mariachi program in the U.S. that has traveled and performed in Europe thus far." Chen said that the staff in the St. Andrä Church and their European tour guide told them that it was the church's first mariachi performance ever to be held in that cathedral.

Yaretzi Martinez, an ensemble member, had several takeaways from this trip. She said that seeing other locations and performing around the country is an incredible experience one doesn't receive many opportunities to claim.

Martinez learned that "If I'm not having fun during my performances, all those days of practice would have been for nothing, 'cause if no one is having fun on stage, it just doesn't look good....Having fun while performing is just as important as performing well." She also had a great experience getting to taste all the different sweet treats from foreign countries such as chocolates, pies, cakes, Sachetorte, and Wiener Apfelstrudel.

Kris Easter also provided a unique perspective as a parent-chaperone on the trip. She said that as someone who doesn't spend a lot of time around a larger group of teenagers, this group was "fun, engaging, [and] easy to get along with....It made the trip very easy as there was no drama or issues."

Easter added, "I don't get to see teachers interacting with their students very often, especially over such a long period of time. I was amazed at how Mr. Chen worked with the kids, had fun with the kids, and also let the kids do their own thing. His rapport with the kids is truly impressive."

The shared unexpected experience that almost put a major wrench in the whole trip was the snowstorm on the Thursday scheduled for departure. School was made into remote learning days on March 14 and 15 due to the intense snowstorms the two days before Spring Break. This caused the band's original flight to be canceled, yet the whole group was miraculously able to get another flight the same day, only causing them to lose a few hours of their entire trip.

Niwot Mariachi unveiled its new "Cougar Vida" logo during this adventure due to collaborative efforts by the NHS Booster Club, the NHS Music, Performance & Art Program, Chen, and designer/artist Sebastian Moy. The Music, Performance & Art Program explained that "the cougar is a reminder of the power within. It symbolizes an inner strength to take on any challenge and emerge victorious, as well as a willingness to be brave and explore new opportunities." The logo was prominent on the Ensemble's performance clothing during their European journey.