Executive & Artistic Director

Thor Steingraber

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NOCHEBUENA: A CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR

featuring

Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles

Mariachi Pueblo Viejo

and special guest Camila Fernández

Sat Dec 7 & 8 | 3pm

Kareli Montoya, Artistic Director & Choreographer

Daniel Rosales, Musical Director & Composer

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About Nochebuena/Program | Program Note

Nochebuena en Casa

Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles Dancers

Mariachi Pueblo Viejo Musicians

Ballet Folklorico Los Angelitos Dancers

BIOGRAPHIES

Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles | Kareli Montoya | Daniel Rosales | Mariachi Pueblo Viejo | Camila Fernández

An Interview With Camila Fernández

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About Us

Our Supporters | The Soraya Team

Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles (BFLA)

Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles was founded in 2011 by Kareli Montoya and has distinguished itself as the nation's premier Mexican folk dance company. Their skillful dancers have graced world-class venues such as the Anaheim Convention Center, Orpheum Theater, Nokia Theater, Greek Theater, John Anson Ford Amphitheater, Santa Barbara Bowl, the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, Staples Center, Tempe Center for the Arts and the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. Since its inception, BFLA has worked with the industry's finest Grammy Award-winning artists such as Lila Downs, Pepe Aguilar, Mariachi Divas and Mariachi Los Camperos.

They have shared the stage and accompanied mariachi greats like Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlan, world-famous Mariachi Vargas and Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuellar.

Not shy of any genre, Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles has worked with music celebrities like Ana Barbara, Morrissey, Ruben (Cafe Tacuba), Las Cafeteras, Beatriz Adriana, Banda El Recodo, Paquita la del Barrio, Empress Of, and Armenian pop star Lilit Hovhannisyan. This amazing dance troop was the first Folklórico company in the country to accompany symphony orchestras such as the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra and the Marina del Rey Symphony, both conducted by Frank Fetta.

Media coverage has made BFLA internationally recognized especially after being featured in the 2016 National Geographic Traveler UK edition and with their collaboration with Mitu Network on a Mariachi Remake of Beauty and the Beast's "A Tale as Old as Time," featuring Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuellar and BFLA's Director, Kareli Montoya. The video went viral on Facebook at 15 million views (and counting)! If you have seen the Disney Pixar Coco Live at the Hollywood Bowl or on Disney+, then you have already had the opportunity to see BFLA in action, as they assisted Disney Studios with magical performances during 2017 for the release of Coco. They were the folkloristas at the D23 Expo where they performed on stage with Benjamin Bratt, Mariachi Divas, and the Grammy®-winning Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band.

Perhaps you caught them at the Coco Premiere at El Capitan Theatre or even on "Dancing With the Stars," Disney Night. If you missed those performances, we are sure you saw them grace the stage at the 90th Annual Academy Awards alongside Natalia Lafourcade, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Miguel with a rendition of Coco's Academy Award-Winning song, "Remember Me."

Kareli Montoya (Artistic Director)

Kareli Montoya’s professional career began at age fifteen, when she became the youngest dancer to perform at the to her craft led to a tenure with La Fonda lasting many years. Ms. Montoya continued her professional dancing career while attending Cal-State University of Los Angeles, where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work in 2011. Having fulfilled the goal of being the first in her immediate family to receive a college degree, Kareli traveled to Colima, Mexico to realize another professional goal: study with the internationally known Ballet Folklórico de la Universidad de Colima. During her time in Colima, Kareli continued to acquire new techniques and a stronger passion for Folklórico which then led her to return to Los Angeles with a distinct goal to establish her own professional dance company. From this drive and commitment to the art of Folklórico, the Ballet Folklórico de Los Angeles and BFLA Performing Arts Academy, currently known as Kareli School of Folklorico, were born.

While Kareli had been recognized for her work within the Folklórico community, it was her extensive effort as the Coco choreographer for Disney Studios that put her on the international stage. Her choreography work for Disney Studios began in 2017 at the D23 Expo, where Kareli assembled over 100 Folklórico dancers who closed the Pixar presentations. Impressed with her professional capabilities, Disney Studios called on Kareli to choreograph the cempasuchil carpet entrance for the world premiere of Coco. 2017 was rounded off on “Dancing with the Stars,” where Kareli assisted Artem Grigoryev with his choreography of the song “Remember Me.” Kareli’s work throughout 2017 led to an opportunity of a lifetime when she was asked to assist Mandy Moore (Choreographer for the movie La La Land), at the 90th Academy Awards with a rendition of the Academy Award-Winning song “Remember Me” which was then brought to life on air by Kareli and several BFLA dancers. Never would have Kareli thought that her love and passion for Folklórico would lead her to assist Cindy Stuart with the Disney On Ice for the Coco segment of Mickey’s Search Party show or that her choreographies and performance would be streamed on Disney Plus with Coco Live at the Hollywood Bowl. Disney, however, isn’t the only organization to recognize Kareli’s talents as she can now add the off-Broadway musical Americano to her growing list of choreography consultations.

On top of the highlight of having worked/performed as part of the 90th Academy Awards, Kareli also had the opportunity to collaborate with world-renowned choreographer Nika Kjun on a featured number that was performed with Banda El Recodo and Lila Downs. Before her work with Disney Studio, Kareli was internationally recognized as the “Mexican Belle” for her performance and choreography in partnership with Mitu Network and Mariachi Garibaldi’s de Jaime Cuellar’s remake of “A Tale as Old as Time” which has become a viral video with over 15 million views.

Continuing to work on her craft and give back to the community, Kareli has earned her master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Southern California adding Dance Movement Therapy to her vast list of skills.

Daniel Rosales (Musical Director & Composer)

Daniel was born in the southwestern Jalisco town of Autlán de Navarro on May 18th, 1981. His heritage is that of a musical family and he is the son of Mariachi Hermanos Rosales founder Israel Rosales. Under the tutelage of his father, a love for music was instilled in him when he was introduced to the world of music and learned to play the violin at just seven years of age.

By the age of fifteen Daniel had also learned how to play the trumpet and even spent a few years the trompetista in his families mariachi. He later went on to study at the music school of the Universidad de Guadalajara where he perfected his violin technique and took private lessons from distinguished maestros such as Héctor Olvera, Vladimir Milstein and in the United States professor Jhon Acevedo. In his youth Daniel was a part of a group of prestigious young musicians from throughout the Jalisco region of El Grullo, Autlán and El Limón that were given the opportunity to travel to Europe and perform in various cities in France and Italy.

By the age of seventeen he had moved to the United States and became a member of the famed Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano in Los Angeles. In 2001, after performing in various tours throughout the US, Daniel returned to Mexico and became a full-time member of Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlán and to this day has performed in numerous tours throughout Mexico, the United States, South America, Europe, and Asia.

Daniel has become well known for his great vocal abilities and his majestic musical performance on the violin. He is also an esteemed composer and arranger of various musical pieces and in 2008 went on to record his own album, Le Duele el Alma al Corazón, where the majority of songs are his compositions. In 2009 he composed a song dedicated to his hometown called Soy de Autlán and earned recognition from the local government and has been invited year after year to participate in the towns annual carnaval. Another major moment in his career as a composer came in 2010 when Daniel's song "A Ella" was included on the album Los Dos Vicentes from internationally acclaimed ranchera singer Vicente Fernandez.

With Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlán Daniel has participated as a musician and arranger on over 10 album productions with the most recent being the composition and arrangement of the song México Voz Que Canta, which imparts the great love that he feels for his roots.

Daniel is widely recognized for his superior musical talent and has traveled internationally to partake in numerous mariachi master classes and share his immense knowledge of music. As a member of Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlán, Edwin has had the opportunity to travel internationally and perform in some of the most prestigious mariachi festivals such as the Encuentro Internacional del Mariachi y la Charrería in Guadalajara, Mariachi USA at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Mariachi Spectacular in Albuquerque and has been fortunate to accompany numerous singers of international recognition.

Mariachi Pueblo Viejo

Mariachi Pueblo Viejo was founded in May of 2021 by Manny Ponce with a vision to create a professional mariachi ensemble that preserves the culture and authentic rich mariachi sound. Mariachi Pueblo Viejo is comprised of both working professionals and collegiate students. Mariachi Pueblo Viejo will be sure to wow an audience of all ages and demographics. We welcome you to enjoy the sound that is Mexico without ever leaving the Old Pueblo.

CAMILA FERNÁNDEZ

CAMILA FERNÁNDEZ has established herself as an unstoppable force in the Mexican regional genre. Her undeniable talent and passion for music have led her to become the lone female voice of the Fernández Dynasty.

Born on November 30, 1997, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Camila’s love for music was evident from her earliest days. At the tender age of four, her powerful voice and stage presence impressed everyone on every stage she graced, whether it was in musical theater, school choirs, religious pageants, or performances. Her destiny was clear: music was her path.

To formalize her music career, Camila embarked on an educational journey, studying at the renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. Additionally, she honed her musical skills in Guadalajara and San Diego, CA, exploring piano, guitar, and voice.

Before delving into the world of Mexican regional music, Camila experimented with various music genres until she found her unique voice in mariachi. Inspired by a promise to her grandfather, the legendary Vicente Fernández, she began writing songs and shaping her eponymous album.

Her musical influences encompass icons like her grandfather Vicente Fernández, her father Alejandro Fernández, Juan Gabriel, Rocío Dúrcal, José Alfredo Jiménez, and Eugenia de León, who have left an indelible mark on her style and passion for music.

Although her music career began in 2017, it was in 2022 and beyond that Camila Fernández’s journey experienced a constant evolution. From her memorable mariachi performance at Corona Capital Guadalajara in 2022 to the release of a moving cover of “Amor Eterno” and her touching rendition of “Las Mañanitas” to the Virgin of Guadalupe, to her collaboration with Morat on a mariachi version of “Debí Suponerlo,” the singer has chosen to focus her exceptional talent on Mexican regional music, establishing herself as the only female voice of the Fernández Dynasty.

On July 6, 2023, Camila released the first single, “Todo, Todo,” from her upcoming eponymous album, which was released on October 26, 2023. This preview showcases La Fernández redefining the distinctive style of Mexican regional music by blending elegance, fashion, and tradition with more contemporary elements and language, creating a perfect balance.

Her new album, Camila Fernández, includes 20 tracks, with 10 original songs and 10 covers, all connected by the theme of love in its various forms. Camila penned nine of the original songs, demonstrating her creative ambition and deep commitment to her music. This creative ambition is reflected in the musical development of her new album, which evokes the nostalgia of Mexican mariachi and the sonic innovation of the 21st century. Camila is an artist with a promising future, capable of reinventing the past through her ranchera passion conveyed in every verse.

Thanks to her unique qualities, Camila Fernández is undeniably the best representative of the new Mexican regional music: a revolutionary woman who blends the best of multiple worlds to create an authentic and distinct style. Her music is a gift for Mexican music enthusiasts and an inspiration for future generations.