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ABOUT US
Our Story
What started as occasional coaching in school music outreach programs from 2000-2006, turned into the 'Latin American Music Project' with two all-age ensembles: a Mariachi and an Afro-Cuban Ensemble (ACE). In 2010, the LAMP became the 'City Heights Music School' as more instruments and levels were required to meet the demand for music education in City Heights. In 2016, CHMS was adopted by the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and continues to flourish under the direction of Victoria Eicher.
Victoria Eicher, Founder/Artistic Director
I grew up in Minneapolis and studied at MacPhail Center for the Arts, starting at the early age of 3 in its Musical Trolley program and continuing to the age of 14 as a student of Suzuki Violin. With three siblings also enrolled at MacPhail, I spent a lot of time in its huge lobby area surrounded by musicians and dancers coming and going to class, and in the upper floor hallways outside of the studios of private lesson teachers. My mother, a small-town girl from northern Minnesota, played piano and always loved the violin. So there I was, at the age of 4, with a chopstick for a bow and a ruler taped to a tissue box for a violin! That’s how it all began...
Victoria Eicher, Artistic Director
Mario Eguia, CHMS Assistant Director and Mariachi Victoria Director
Mario Eguia, CHMS Assistant Director and Mariachi Victoria Director
Violin, Piano, City Strings, Mariachi Victoria
Victoria Eicher grew up in Minneapolis and began playing violin at the age of 4 in the Suzuki program at MacPhail Center for the Arts. She has performed with the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus, Orquestra de Baja California, Mariachi Champana Nevin, Caprice Strings, and in chamber ensemble programs throughout San Diego. In 2010, Ms. Victoria founded the City Heights Music School and opened her home studio for private lessons in violin and piano.
Click on Ms. Victoria's picture for a short video!
Mario Eguia, CHMS Assistant Director and Mariachi Victoria Director
Mario Eguia, CHMS Assistant Director and Mariachi Victoria Director
Mario Eguia, CHMS Assistant Director and Mariachi Victoria Director
Guitar, Trumpet, Mariachi Victoria
Mario Eguia teaches in the Sweetwater Unified School District and serves as a Curriculum Consultant for the Visual and Performing Arts Program. In 2020, he joined the faculty of Classics4Kids, sharing his passion for Mariachi music in schools throughout San Diego. Mr. Eguia began playing mariachi under the tutelage of Ruben Baldenegro and, at a young age, was performing with professional mariachi ensembles in Mexicali, Imperial Valley, Coachella Valley, San Diego, and Los Angeles.
Click on Mr. Mario's picture for a short video!
RUTH ORTEGA-MONDRAGON - Administrative Assistant
MARILYN LOPEZ-EGUIA - Program Development Specialist
LINDA HERNANDEZ - Program Assistant
MARLEEN GAXIOLA - Graphic Design
City Heights Music School
EXPERIENCED TEACHERS and TALENTED MUSICIANS BRINGING MUSIC TO SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES!
Perry Chacon, Jr
Voice and Guitarron
Perry Chacon is a graduate of Chula Vista High School in California and was involved in the School of Visual and Performing Art’s mariachi program with Mark Fogelquist. While attending college, he continued to be involved in the performing arts by working as a mariachi tutor for students in the Sweetwater Union High School District.
Voice and Ukulele
Lorelei Isidro-Garner studied Voice Performance at SDSU and worked in a classroom setting teaching music enrichment programs for over 20 years. Lorelei is currently a Music Coordinator and Choir Conductor at the First UU Church in Chula Vista, and a Music Enrichment Teacher at Hickman Elementary School and a private instructor for voice, piano, and ukulele.
Lorelei is a composer and creator of the “ZipZapZoogle Music Enrichment Program”.
Click on her picture for a short video!
Violin and Music 123
An award-winning educator (2020 Master-Apprentice Award from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Arizona Commission on the Arts), Mr. Gill has performed with the Grammy nominated Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez and has been teaching the violin master class at the Tucson International Mariachi Conference since 1998. He attended the Dorothy Delay Symposium at the Juilliard School in 2019. Click on his picture for a short video!
World Music - Artists In Schools
Ruben brings extensive experience in teaching voice, violin, guitar, ukulele, and world music to students of all ages. Trained and certified in Suzuki pedagogy, Ruben embraces the call/response and rote approaches to teaching music. He is also co-founder of Mariachi Mar y Sol. Ruben is currently pursuing a M.A. in Afro-Latin Music Performance (violin) at Cal State LA.
Ruben Hernandez
Drums - Artists in Schools
Ruben Hernandez's training includes a wide range of styles and genres. He teaches Percussion and Composition at the San Diego Youth Symphony, the Tijuana Youth Symphony, San Diego Unified School District, and the San Diego Symphony. He also serves as the Percussion Specialist every year for the LA Philharmonic's YOLA National Festival.
Nico Hueso
Piano and Strings
Nico Hueso freelances and records in multiple genres as a violist, violinist, guitarist, and electric bassist. He has been a guest soloist with the rock band Kansas and has performed with Placido Domingo, rock band Disturbed, members of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitclán & Nuevo Tecalitclán. In addition to keeping a rigorous teaching and freelancing schedule, Hueso enjoys arranging, improvising and performing chamber music.
Peter Ko
Cello
Peter has received his significant musical training from Charles Curtis, Vernon Regehr, Ashley Walters, and Mario Ramirez. He has also received coachings from many other great world-class artists, including Lynn Harrell, Felix Fan, the Gryphon Trio, the Danish String Quartet, and many others. He holds a MMus from Memorial University of Newfoundland, and a BA from University of California, San Diego. He is currently working on towards his DMA in Contemporary Music Performance, at UCSD.
Souaad Nuñez
Voice
Souaad Núñez is a Soprano and violinist. She is a native San Diegan, and currently resides in El Paso, TX where she runs her music studio, Nuñez Musical Ventures. Mrs. Nuñez received her Bachelors degree in Psychology from San Diego State University, where she also studied music. Souaad is a member of the El Paso Chamber Choir and the San Diego Pro Arte Voices. She has performed Vivaldi’s Gloria at San Marcos Lutheran Church and Part I of Messiah with the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus.
Tyler Richardson
Flute, Piano, and Saxophone
Born in San Diego, saxophonist Tyler Richardson attended San Diego State University where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Saxophone Performance in 2006. In 2008, Tyler completed his Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies from San Diego State University. Tyler has been performing professionally throughout San Diego for 16 years. Along with performing Mr. Richardson is a Teaching Artist with the San
Diego Youth Symphony.
Analia Romero
World Music - Artists in Schools
Analia is a classical and Afro-Latin vocalist based in Los Angeles, California. As a researcher, she is interested in mariachi music direction and education, Afro-Cuban vocal styles in the 1930’s and Afro-Peruvian jazz music of the 1970’s. Her M.A. in Afro-Latin vocal performance at Cal State LA is currently in progress. She is also co-founder of Mariachi Mar y Sol and was a Spanish and Music educator for the Montessori Charter Schools of Flagstaff Arizona.
Juan Sanchez
Drum Power
Juan began his Latin percussion studies at SDSU under the direction of Mark Lamson. In 2004, he founded the longest running Afro-Cuban Drumming program in San Diego at the World Beat Cultural Center. In 2006, Sanchez travelled to Cuba where he was formally introduced to Afro-Cuban music with Pepito Fernandez, a local rumbero from the Calljon de Jamel. Juan returned to work with various high and middle school drumlines in the South Bay.
Alex Tapia
Guitar
Bio coming soon.
Charity Yandall
Strings - Teaching Assis
Charity Yandall has played in orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout San Diego. She plays 3 different instruments: violin, viola, and cello. Charity has played with the Southwestern College and Palomar College orchestras and is a graduate of the Hausmann Chamber Music Program at SDSU. She is a performing member of String Savvy San Diego and currently a teacher for the Fortissimo Orchestra Program in San Marcos where she conducts large ensembles and group sectionals.
Shannon Yandall
Strings
Shannon Yandall is a talented musician and strings teacher who shares her love of music with students of all ages across San Diego County. Shannon maintains a successful private studio and is an experienced classroom teacher having taught instrumental music in many area schools and districts including: The Montessori Institute of La Jolla, San Marcos School District, National City School District, Oceanside School District, and South Bay School District.
Mariachi Victoria de San Diego
Eunice (Lilo) Aparicio
Guitarron
Bio coming soon!
Perry Chacon, Jr
Voice and Guitarron
Perry Chacon is a graduate of Chula Vista High School in California and was involved in the School of Visual and Performing Art’s mariachi program with Mark Fogelquist. While attending college, he continued to be involved in the performing arts by working as a mariachi tutor for students in the Sweetwater Union High School District.
Daniel Chavez
Violin Assistant
Daniel Chavez began playing the violin at the age of 8 years old with his father Silvano Chavez and later studying with Guadalupe Gonzalez, a member of Mariachi Sol de Mexico. Daniel performed in orchestra, jazz vocal ensemble, string ensembles, and Mariachi Garibaldi at Southwestern College. Daniel has toured with Mariachi Champaña Nevin and played for Aida Cuevas.
Violin
David Gill has performed with the Grammy nominated Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez. He has been teaching the violin master class at the Tucson International Mariachi Conference since 1998. Mr. Gill has also taught in Chicago and at the Chacala Mariachi Institute. He attended the Dorothy DeLay Symposium at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City in 2019. Mr. Gill has been playing for the past thirty six years and has a profound love of teaching.