Los Amigos have been playing for ten years in many venues including festivals, private performances, and TV appearances in Mexico and the United States. They play a variety of Latin-American music including boleros, baladas, huapangos, sones, cumbias, rancheras, valses, etc. They have distinguished themselves in New Mexico for being one of the few groups that continues to play traditional music from the most popular Mexican trios and Latin-American singers. Some of these performers include: Los Panchos, Los Tres Ases, Los Tres Caballeros, Los Tres Reyes, Vicente Fernandez, Antonio Aguilar, Juan Gabriel, Jose Jose, Alejandro Fernandez, Luis Miguel, Mana, Sin Bandera, to mention a few. They also play a variety of Classical Music suitable for concerts, weddings, and soothing background music for private functions.
LOS AMIGOS, Mexican Trio play mostly for audiences in Albuquerque and Santa Fe New Mexico including surrounding areas.
MEMBERS:
OMAR VILLANUEVA
Omar Villanueva started playing guitar when he was 13 years old. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Classical Guitar performance from the “Conservatorio de Música del Estado de México” in Mexico and a Master’s Degree on Guitar performance from the University of New Mexico. He has performed as a solo guitarist in chamber music, symphony orchestras, and many popular music ensembles in Mexico and the United States. Some of the events include performances at music festivals, universities, music schools, TV appearances and private events.
Omar is recognized in his hometown Matamoros Mexico and New Mexico as one of the finest Classical guitarist and requinto players. He has won several prizes for his musical performance including:
• 1st place on the 2005 “University of New Mexico” Concerto Competition
•1st place on the “Joyce Walker” Music Competition organized by the Professional Music Teachers of New Mexico.
• Scholarship “Jose Teran” 2005 given by the Mexican Consulate for talented musicians.
• “Friends of Music” Scholarship given to talented musicians of the University of New Mexico (2005)
• 2nd prize at the 1st Chamber Music Competition at the “Conservatorio de Música del Estado de México” 2003
• Semi-finalist of the 2006 “Juan Serrano” International Classical Guitar Competition at Fresno Ca.
• 2nd place “Best Requinto” in Matamoros Mexico 1997
Omar’s playing is a mix of classical guitar technique with the style of the greatest requinto players from Mexico.
His main influences include the best requinto players in the world like Gilberto Puente (Los Tres Reyes), Juan Neri (los Tres Ases), Chamin Correa (Los Tres Caballeros) and Alfredo “Guero” Gil (Los Panchos) and the classical guitar teachers Michael Chapdelaine and Francisco Gil.
Omar has also won voice competitions (popular music) including:
• 1st place in the annual high school voice competition in 1996 (Matamoros Mex.)
• 1st place in the annual high school voice competition 1998 (Matamoros Mex.)
• Best Vocalist of the Matamoros Youth Competition 1997 (Matamoros Mex.)
• 3rd place in the annual high school voice competition 1997 (Matamoros Mex.)
• 2nd place at the New Mexico Expo Voice Competition 2005 (Albuquerque NM)
Currently, Villanueva is an active classical guitarist and teacher of Latin-American music based mostly in Santa Fe and Albuquerque New Mexico. He also teaches guitar full time at West Mesa High School in Albuquerque.
ROBERTO GOMEZ
Roberto Gomez is a tenor from Mexico who recently got his Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque NM, under the guidance of the international soprano Marylin Tyler. Roberto Gomez has studied with the most important people in the Americas operatic field as well with internationally known opera singers like David Portilla, Hortensia Cervantes, and Marylin Tyler. Roberto Gomez has been a part of Master Classes with renowned figures such as Pieter Ziethen( Germany), Aaron Medrano( Mexico), Neil Rosenshein (USA) and Armando Mora (Mexico).
Roberto Gomez has sung with orchestras both in Mexico and United States such as The Acapulco Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Eduardo Alvarez (2001), The Tampico Symphony Orchestra conducted by Armando Vargas (2003), The Estado de Mexico Youth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rico (2003), The Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by David Felberg (2006), The Santa Fe Community Orchestra conducted by Mtro. Oliver Prezant (2007) and The University of New Mexico Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jorge Perez-Gomez and Annunziata Tamaro. Roberto Gomez has also sung with other Chamber Orchestras and as a soloist in Mexico and the United States.
Roberto Gomez has also been in touch with popular music since he was a teenager. He started singing at the age of 10 as a soloist in a church in his hometown. During his college days he belonged to important bands in Mexican towns like Acapulco, Huatulco, Distrito Federal, and Toluca. Roberto Gomez also writes his own songs; he has written 300 hundred songs by his own inspiration.
R Roberto Gomez also has taught voice classes both in Mexico and the United States; he taught at “El Conservatorio de Música del Estado de México” for two years, and has also taught private voice lessons in his hometown before coming to the United States to complete his Master’s Degree. He was a teaching assistant in the voice department for two years at The University of New Mexico and currently he is teaching privately in his home studio in Albuquerque, NM.
Roberto has been granted scholarships and awards such as:
• 1st place Contest “ Presea al Merito 2001” COMEM
• Teaching Assistant granted by The University of New Mexico 2005-2007
• The Morten Lauridsen Scholarship granted by The University of New Mexico Choir
• The Helen Simpson Scholarship granted by The University of New Mexico Opera Theatre.
• 1st place at the New Mexico Expo Voice Competition 2005 (Albuquerque NM)
BOBBY ESPINOZA
Robert “Bobby” Espinoza, was born and raised in Valdez, New Mexico. In this small village just north of Taos, New Mexico, he was brought up with the sounds of traditional ranchera music. He learned how to play this wonderful genre of music from his dad, cousins, and music classes offered in the local middle and high schools. Bobby, his dad, Elias Espinoza, and cousins Ralph and Lloyd García, would often meet at the Valdez bar to practice the traditional music for the church choir and other festivities in the area, such as weddings and funerals. In high school, Bobby studied classical guitar under the instruction of Martin Vee and Nick Branchal. Nick was the first instructor in New Mexico to offer a mariachi class for credit in a public school. It was in this mariachi class and with this mariachi group (Mariachi el Tigre) that he learned more complex latin-rhythms (e.g. huapangos, sones, boleros etc.) and also learned how to play other traditional Mexican instruments, like the guitarrón and vihuela.
Having enjoyed this music very much, he and some of his fellow classmates formed a group apart from the high school mariachi—known as Mariachi Relámpago. They played for many local functions and restaurants, eventually earning enough money to put out a recording of the group.
They soon graduated from high school and went their separate ways. Bobby’s path would take him to Albuquerque, New Mexico to study at the University of New Mexico (UNM). He would, however, be able to keep up with mariachi music at UNM. Bobby had the good fortune to help start the university’s first mariachi group—Mariachi Lobo. Some of the performances with this group would take them as far as Chihuahua, Mexico and Durango, Colorado.
Living in Albuquerque would also bring Bobby to meet many of the musicians in this beautiful city. He was given the opportunity to play with many of them and learn from them; some of the musicians and groups include: Oti Ruiz, Chuy Martinez, Mario and Ruti García, Stanley Gutierrez, Mariachi Caporales, Cuarteto Alma Alegre, Mariachi Nuevo Sonido, Mariachi Alma, Mariachi Guadalupe, and Mariachi Loco.
Since moving to Albuquerque Bobby has completed four bachelor’s degrees in French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian Studies, and has also earned a master’s degree in Secondary Education. Bobby is currently a French and Spanish teacher at Atrisco Heritage Academy.
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