“Music is what unifies us all” says singer-songwriter Edna Vasquez, lead singer of the Mariachi band that performed at Ice Auditorium on Thursday night. She and six other members of the band used their talents to give the audience insight into their culture and its roots in music.

Mariachi is a type of Mexican folk music, one that holds significance in many traditional Hispanic households. This type of music is one that builds the energy in the room. It encourages audience participation, and envelops everyone in the room with the emotions of the song.

An important aspect of this performance was rooted in the history of the music, which the lead singer spent some time explaining to the audience. She described it as being similar to the way that different countries and cultures enrich the United States, except that it is a blend of the European influences of the 19^th century being mixed with the sounds of the indigenous tribes in Latin America.

Despite the Hispanic nature of the performance, it still drew in a wide variety of audience members to the event. Ages ranged from around 7 to 85, as families from town came in to see the event as well as resident students of the college. Not all of the viewers were of Hispanic origin, and yet they appeared to enjoy the performance just as much as anyone else there.

Freshman Angela Orellana-Aguilar said, “I really love how she said that music is universal. She really incorporated the concept by saying that people from places like Honduras, Mexico, and El Salvador can hear her music and still appreciate it. She’s a great example of what our culture is made of”.

It is reactions like this that make this type of event worth going to. Music is universally used as a way of expressing and evoking emotions across time, space, and cultures. It was an honor to have such a passionate and talented group of people perform here at Linfield.