Wenatchee High School’s Mariachi Huenachi has proven themselves to be one of the best music groups in the entire nation. Mariachi Huenachi’s pure talent has gotten them to mariachi nationals twice in the past two years, where they placed third in 2023 and first in 2024. The mariachi’s extreme success has been for a multitude of reasons, but one of those reasons is because of their junior, first trumpet, and newly elected president, Enrique Arredondo. Arredondo has played with Mariachi Huenachi since the second semester of his freshman year, at the beginning of 2023.
“I started [playing] trumpet in the sixth-grade band,” Arredondo stated. Since then, he has found a love for playing the trumpet and has expanded his knowledge of the instrument significantly throughout his years. Arredondo implemented his trumpet skills into mariachi as soon as he could.
“I don’t know if I count seventh-grade mariachi because it was on Zoom, but I really started mariachi my freshman year,” Arredondo stated. His love for the trumpet never went away, as he would always find any opportunity he could to play his trumpet, including his involvement in middle school band from sixth through eighth grade and his involvement with the high school jazz band and wind ensemble.
“Trumpet is something that is basically a part of me now. It has opened opportunities in multiple ways. If I had never done mariachi, I would have never gone to Albuquerque and met people over there. I wouldn’t have been able to travel and it has opened opportunities for me to join a mariachi group out of school,” Arredondo said. Mariachi Huenachi is opening opportunities for plenty of other students, not just Enrique, to play and compete at a very high level.
“We have placed first in state three times in a row,” Arredondo claimed, showcasing the high level that Mariachi Huenachi constantly dominates at.
At the 2024 nationals where Mariachi Huenachi placed first, Arredondo played first trumpet, a vital role in any mariachi band, that placed him under copious amounts of pressure.
“Nationals was very nerve racking because you have the fear of messing up but at the same time you have been practicing for this moment for months so you’ve got to own it,” Arredondo stated. Arredondo owned the moment, as well as the rest of Mariachi Huenachi, as they got titled the best high school mariachi group in the nation. Arredondo says he practices every day and that it is vital to take it on your own to improve yourself when it comes to music.
“I have looked up to Jose Machado, the leader of a local mariachi group, Mariachi Imperio Real. He invited me to his group and now I play second trumpet for them,” Arredondo stated. Machado showed Arredondo that hard work truly pays off and encouraged him to constantly work hard. Because of Arredondo’s hard work for Mariachi Huenachi, he got recognized by the local mariachi group, Mariachi Imperio Real, who play gigs around Wenatchee and the state for anyone who hires them.
“If you love doing mariachi, just keep that passion. If you are not really passionate about improving or enjoying playing the songs, it won’t come out as good as if someone were to be passionate,” Arredondo stated, delivering a message he wants the public to hear. He wants everyone to know that if you have a passion for something, keep that passion and stick with that passion, even when the surrounding world wants you to let go.
