The Hidden Musician - A Profile
Standing in front of a crowd of thousands at the Nokia Theater, he held his violin, assumed position among the orchestra, and played alongside Gerardo Ortiz the top Norteno musician, at the tender age of 14. While the stage lights shone white, the crowd of thousands roared for an encore, Jorge reluctantly picked up his violin and played in the background alongside a row of middle-aged musicians. With nimble fingers and precise movements, he rocked his bow over the four strings stopping only to sing his rehearsed part. Hours later, after the concert ended Gerardo greeted screaming fans, while Jorge packed up his violin and headed back home—to his family’s one bedroom house—to Southgate, LA and promptly fell asleep.
While he wasn’t always enthralled by the idea of playing mariachi music, Jorge’s father—a trained classical violinist from Mexico—desperately pushed his son to learn so he could have a job to fall back on. Beginning as a teenager, for hours every day after school Jorge practiced under his father’s watchful eye; but it wasn’t until he was 19 that he found a genuine love for mariachi music.
Talking to him in his apartment with instruments strewn across the floor, a quoted picture of Martin Luther King Jr. hanging posteriorly on the wall, and the earthy smell of Mexican spices brewing in the kitchen, I wondered, “What is it like to be a musician?” Sitting across from me he smiled, “Harder than you think.”
Working approximately 30 hours a week at three different locations, Mr. Cardenas is a full-time third year student of Mexican decent attending UCI, majoring in Political Science, and dreams of one day marrying his love for mariachi music and research; but like many undocumented students pursuing higher education, he bears the financial burden of his family, and the social strain the comes with the title. Contrary to popular belief, undocumented citizens have an extremely hard time gaining economic security daily, and rarely make enough to sustain themselves. It is because of this harsh reality that Jorge is one of the only two financially contributing family members and rarely finds time to eat or sleep.
Jorge is currently the beneficiary of DACA (Differed Action for Childhood Arrivals), and as such has obtained a work permit that allows him to hold a job for two years—from 18 to 20 years old. He explains because he is the only person in his family who can receive it due to its numerous qualifications, he feels a responsibility to help provide financially. Additionally, he saves up to pay rent and is slowly paying off student loans.
“You look for anyway to make money,” he admitted, “that’s why I find myself working so much.”
Jorge works 10 hours at the Mariachi Conservatory where he teaches students in the city of Santa Ana the art of singing and playing the violin, 10 hours researching immigration patterns with Professor Maria Rendon, and devotes 15 hours as a violinist with the Mariachi group “Mariachi San Martin” where he gets the opportunity to perform at weddings, events, and large-scale concerts.
However, finding stable work as a musician is hard to predict. Jorge began working at the age of 14, and was quickly taught how to transform playing into a means of income. While many children focus on school, Jorge acquiesced to learning the violin and juggled the duality of being a student and provider.
“My dad forced me to do Mariachi music as a livelihood,” he stated, “you don’t need documentation to play.”
One of his biggest debuts was playing in the band that accompanied Gerardo Ortiz, whose net worth as of 2015 was $5.5 million dollars, but Jorge walked away that night like all, earning $50 an hour in cash. He admitted that there are some days he goes with only one meal as sustenance because he doesn’t have enough money; while he has always been fortunate enough to have a roof over his head, the stress economically and socially carries a big burden. Many of his documented friends agree it takes a toll on Jorge but he does his best to make the most of it. “He is great,” a band member commented. “He does what he does with a passion and shouldn’t stop.”
When asked how he juggles all those different roles, he smiled and explained it was like a switch. “You turn on and off different parts. But the hardest thing,” he notes, “is going to school with no one who understands.”
In the University of California, Irvine, with 24,568 students 6,029 identify as Hispanic and are spread across campus, of those Jorge has found a genuine connection in only two. Because he, like many other undocumented students felt uncomfortable in the predominately affluent White and Asian demographics of Irvine, Sophomore year was a turning point because he looked to music as a coping mechanism. At that point, he saw his identity of being undocumented as an obstacle that didn’t define him, and used it as a catalyst for his work now.
“Mariachi gave me the upward mobility I needed and can’t get otherwise… While I resented it in the past, I’m happy I have it now.”