WALT DISNEY WORLD, Fla. – It’s the music Steven “Esteban” Carrillo said brings the crowds together at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT.
Carrillo is a member of the group “Mariachi Cobre” and they have been performing for millions of visitors who walk by to the sounds of trumpets, violins, and the vihuela.
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“It’s pretty neat, especially when you see the people singing with you, then they come up to us and say I remember when my nana and my tata used to sing that,” Carrillo said.
Mariachi Cobre was founded in 1971 in Tuscon, Arizona and Carrillo said he was at the opening of EPCOT on Oct. 1, 1982.
“Before we formed Mariachi Cobre, we belonged to a youth mariachi in Tuscon which was actually the first youth mariachi in the United States,” Carrillo explained.
The park just celebrated it’s 40th anniversary this month. Ever since, the group has called the Mexico pavilion their second home.
“It’s home, I mean I’ve been here 40 years, I was in Arizona for 24 years, so yeah, this is home,” Carrillo said.
The group is made of 12 musicians, and not only do they perform at EPCOT five days a week, but they also share the culture on stage with symphony orchestras across the U.S.
“We have six violins, which is right now very traditional for the mariachi, we have three trumpets, we have a full rhythm section which is a guitarron, which is the Mexican base, it’s indigenous to Mexico and the vihuela which is a tender vibe string guitar which is also from Mexico,” he said.
Y con la musica, Carrillo said comes a special reward.
“It’s always different every day because you get people from, especially from Latino America, Sur America, Central America and even the United States. The Latino population and it’s very rewarding to see the people react to the music, the remanence,” Carrillo said.
Mariachi Cobre performs at the Mexico pavilion at EPCOT Sunday through Thursday.