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Band performs music of Mexico

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Members of El Mariachi (Los Dorados) will perform at Centre Stage Theatre in Summerland next month. The band is anchored by former Okanagan resident Terence “Diego” Smedley-Kohl.

Mariachi Los Dorados will be bringing a touch of Mexico to the South Okanagan march 26 when they hit the Centre State Theatre for what will be their third time. But for Diego Kohl, this coming appearance will be more than just another gig, more than just another to show why the band ranks among the top Mariachi bands in North America, based on their TV appearances inside and outside of Canada.

It will also be a homecoming for Kohl. 

Born near Guadalajara, the epicenter of Mariachi music, Kohl has a series of connections to the region as he grew up in Armstrong, after coming to Canada at the age of 10.

And his dad is none other than Ken Smedley, the director of the George Ryga Centre. 

While Kohl currently lives in Vancouver, where the Review reached him by phone, he continues to appreciate the natural beauty of the area. 

“It is a great area,” he said.

In fact, Kohl said the band will pay homage to the region’s farming roots by playing some Rancheras, traditional folk songs often played in a Waltz tempo that celebrate the rural lifestyle and its themes.

“I think it will be really appropriate for Summerland, “ he said.

Kohl promises that the audience will get a chance to enjoy a wide repertoire of musical styles, from classical Mariachi songs to the aforementioned Rancheras to Boleros as well as more classical arrangements. The group will also entertain requests, as way to maintain audience engagement, he added. 

The composition of Mariachi Los Dorados mirrors the band’s musical versatility.

While Kohl will appear in Summerland with four band-mates, Los Dorados sometimes field up to 12 players and a dizzying array of instruments for certain performance. And audiences are occasionally surprised to see a player with Asian features, said Kohl.  

Yet for all this visual diversity, the band promises to deliver where it matters the most: the music.