Created in August of 2015 by Nanette Reyes, Mariachi Reyes is one of Ventura County’s top professional mariachi ensembles. Joining New West Symphony guest artists, Mariachi Reyes opens the program with a Las Posadas procession, commemorating the journey Joseph and Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a safe refuge for the birth of their son, Jesus. When they were unable to find lodging in Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary were forced to seek shelter in a stable, where the Christ Child was born. Las Posadas is celebrated throughout the Western Hemisphere from Friday, December 16 to Saturday, December 24, 2022. Mariachi Reyes joins the Symphony onstage to perform traditional folk songs “Blanca Navidad”, “Los Peces en El Río”, “Amarga Navidad” and “El Son de la Negra” arranged by Fernando Arroyo.