July 19 Kristupas summer festival in Vilnius, July 20. at the Tauragė Music Festival and on July 21. At the toy festival Beautiful the audience will get to know one of the best female mariachi groups on the planet, Flor de Toloache from exotic Mexico: Shae Fiol (vocals, viola), Mireya Ramos (vocals, violin), Julie Acosta (trumpet), Yesi Reyes (guitar). The Mariachi style of music is one of the most common genres of Mexican folk music. Ensembles are usually created by men, but Flor de Toloache challenged old traditions fourteen years ago and is currently the first and only all-female ensemble. in 2017 the ensemble won a Latin Grammy Award for the album Las Caras Lindas. Their performances have been praised by the prestigious magazines "Rolling Stone", "Billboard Magazine", "The New Yorker" and others.
The mariachi musical genre was born from the fusion of the folk music of the Andalusia region and the culture of the Mexican Indians. It is an integral part of the traditional and current culture of Mexico, widely known in many regions of Latin America, Spain and the southern part of the United States of America. There are two versions of the origin of the word "mariachi". The first claims that the word comes from the French "mariage" (wedding), because this is the music that was played at Mexican weddings. Another version identifies the word with the local Indians, who called the wooden platform on which musicians performed. Graceful and full of vivacious charisma, Flor de Toloache's name derives from the word toloache, a flower used in an ancient Mexican tradition to make a love elixir.
The ensemble respects and nurtures centuries-old mariachi traditions, but simultaneously combines the old with the modern, expanding the boundaries of the genre and introducing mariachi music to today's listeners. The members of the collective unite various cultures: Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Australia, Colombia, Germany, Italy and the United States of America. This results in a unique image and sound of the ensemble. The result of this cultural bouquet is a sharp, versatile and refreshing approach to traditional Mexican music. Critics write: "Such upbeat tunes as 'Dulces Recuerdos' or 'Ruisenor' will delight not only the most loyal mariachi fans, but also those hearing them for the first time." They will be really impressed with the band's rule-breaking style."
During the concerts - in the courtyard of the A. Mickevičius Library in Vilnius, later - in the courtyard of the Tauragė Castle and in Kaunas in the homestead of T. Ivanauskas Obelynės, the "Latin Grammy" laureates will present their latest album "Indestructible", produced by multiple "Grammy" laureate Rafa Sardina (his list of artists boasts such mega stars like Stevie Wonder, Lady Gaga, Camila Cabello, Placido Domingo and many others). The album features traditional Mexican rhythms and melodies in various musical contexts. This is perfectly illustrated by "Quisiera", a song performed with John Legend. The audience of summer festivals is in for a surprise, because only after visiting the concerts will they find out what musical elixir the bright flowers of Mexico will mix for them.
Over the past few years, Flor de Toloache has played on the most famous stages in Europe, America and India. After performing to packed houses in the UK, Germany, Holland, Italy, France, the band continued to wow crowds on the west coast of the United States.
