The fiddler’s birthday in Cuernavaca
Master Fiddler Joel Monroy celebrated his birthday this week at the Tradiciones music school in Cuernavaca where he is leading a week-long course on Huastecan music and culture.Students come from all over the local area as well as from abroad.
A native of El Retén in San Luís Potosí, Monroy has lived in Ciudad Valles, also in San Luis Potosi, for many years where he has played with the region’s most famous trio, The Camperos de Valles.
He also accompanies Guillermo Velasquez’s internationlly known Son Arribeño group, Los Leones de la Sierra de Xichu. Years earlier he played with Los Caimanes in Tampico, another Huastecan trio.
Monroy is an extraordinary violinist and also plays jarana and guitarra quinta, the other two instruments vital to son huasteco.
Next week, Tradiciones music school will offer a similar course on the music and culture of Tierra Caliente with the virtuoso violinist Serafín Ibarra. Registration is still open for that course which begins Monday, July 20.
Meanwhile, the general public is invited to observe the Huasteca class from 12 noon to 2PM, followed a student recital at 2 p.m. this Saturday, July 18, at Calle Rayon 26, Interior 6, Colonia Centro, Cuernavaca, Morelos. You can register for either event from the Dos Tradiciones page, here.
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