Mariachi Herencia de México is a leading voice of a new generation of mariachi, blending deep-rooted tradition with vibrant, contemporary energy. Founded in Chicago, the two-time Latin GRAMMY®-nominated ensemble has earned acclaim for its virtuosic musicianship and electrifying performances across North America. Comprised of a dynamic group of 15 musicians, they honour the rich heritage of Mexican music while pushing the genre forward with fresh influences. With powerful vocals, rich instrumentation, and an undeniable stage presence, Mariachi Herencia de México delivers an exhilarating tribute to culture, legacy, and the evolving future of mariachi music. 

WHEN: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2026, AT 8:00 PM
WHERE: FLATO MARKHAM THEATRE
ADDRESS: 171 TOWN CENTRE BLVD – MARKHAM, ON
PRIME TICKETS: $20.00 – $93.00
REGULAR TICKETS: $20.00 – $83.00

SPECIAL PROMOTION: 15% OFF

“A band that has come to typify all that is both tender and grand about mariachi music.” – World Music Report

“Mariachi Herencia de México takes mariachi music to whole new heights.” – The Chicago Sun-Times

When the Ottawa Latin Jazz Conference returns to the National Arts Centre from September 25–27, 2026, its third edition will place Canada’s multicultural music community at the center of the conversation.

Presented by Latin Hub Canada, this year’s conference celebrates the creative strength of Canada’s diaspora and the ways artists from different backgrounds are reshaping the intersections between jazz, Latin American music, Caribbean traditions, Brazilian music and contemporary improvisation. Along with three days of concerts, the program includes a panel on Latin jazz education and an Afro-Cuban jazz workshop.

Rachelle Behrens: An Ottawa Voice Rooted in the Americas

Opening-night artist Rachelle Behrens gives the conference an important connection to Ottawa. The Chilean-descended Canadian vocalist has been part of the city’s musical community for more than three decades, developing a style shaped by Latin music, jazz and soul.

Her multilingual repertoire draws from across the Americas, while collaboration with Ottawa-area musicians has given her performances a strong sense of place. Behrens represents one of the conference’s central ideas: multicultural music in Canada grows locally as artists combine heritage, experience and new surroundings.

Anh Phung & Civil Lizard: Music Without Borders

Flutist and multi-instrumentalist Anh Phung brings another kind of musical openness. With Civil Lizard, she joins guitarist Sam Gleason, bassist Alan Mackie and drummer Steven Foster in a quartet built on the chemistry of longtime collaborators.

Their music moves freely among jazz, rock, traditional music and improvisation, leaving room for each performance to evolve onstage. In a conference devoted to cultural exchange, Civil Lizard offers a reminder that crossing musical boundaries can be as meaningful as defining them.

Orlando Cardoso Trio: Cuban Tradition in Motion

Born in Matanzas, Cuba, pianist and composer Orlando Cardoso brings decades of Cuban musical experience to the conference. His career has included years as a pianist with Juan de Marcos González and the Afro-Cuban All Stars, alongside collaborations with Andy Montañez, José Alberto “El Canario,” Roberto Roena, David Sánchez and Giovanni Hidalgo.

As a bandleader, Cardoso has released Personal Touch and his latest album, Passing By, issued in October 2025. The nine-track recording further develops his voice as a pianist and composer and features renowned Cuban drummer Horacio “El Negro” Hernández.

For his Ottawa debut, Cardoso appears with Mark Kelso on drums and Yoser Rodriguez on bass, forming a trio ideally suited to the dialogue between Cuban rhythmic traditions and jazz improvisation.

João Lenhari: Brazilian Jazz, Education and Montréal

Brazilian-born trumpeter, composer, arranger and educator João Lenhari has been based in Montréal since 2021. After studying at UNICAMP in Brazil, he completed a doctorate in jazz performance at the Université de Montréal, where he serves as a guest professor and directs the university’s Big Band.

Lenhari also joins Hilario Durán and Carleton University’s Allyson Rogers for the panel “Bringing Latin Jazz into Canadian Music Education.” His dual role as performer and educator reflects a conference concerned not only with presenting the music, but with passing its history and language to future generations.

Oná Ensemble: Brazil Meets Toronto

Toronto’s Oná Ensemble offers a clear expression of the conference’s multicultural theme. The Canadian-Brazilian chamber-jazz group draws largely on compositions by guitarist André Valério and combines Brazilian traditions with jazz improvisation and chamber-music textures.

Its distinctive instrumentation—two French horns, bassoon, reeds, guitar, bass and percussion—gives the ensemble an immediately recognizable sound. Traces of Brazil, Voices of Toronto places Brazilian ideas within Toronto’s creative environment, showing how migration and collaboration can generate new possibilities without losing connection to cultural roots.

Adis Rodríguez: The Continuing Power of Cuban Song

Toronto-based Cuban vocalist Adis Rodríguez brings the legacy of Cuban song into Saturday’s program. Her Havana 1950s project revisits the richness of Cuba’s popular-music traditions, while her performances place equal emphasis on song, personal memory and cultural storytelling.

Rodríguez adds an essential reminder that Latin jazz is not only an instrumental language. It is also inseparable from song, storytelling and cultural memory.

Joy Lapps Project: Expanding the Caribbean Conversation

With Joy Lapps, the conference broadens its Caribbean perspective beyond Cuba. The Toronto-born steelpan artist, composer and educator is of Antiguan and Barbudan descent and has built a distinctive musical voice around an instrument deeply rooted in Caribbean history.

Her work brings steelpan into dialogue with jazz and wider Caribbean influences, while her broader practice emphasizes education, community engagement and recognition of women’s contributions to the steelband movement. Her appearance reinforces the Caribbean’s place within this musical conversation.

Hilario Durán & Jorge Luis “Papiosco” Torres: Returning to the Afro-Cuban Source

The conference reaches one of its deepest historical points with pianist Hilario Durán and percussionist Jorge Luis Torres “Papiosco.”

Durán, born in Havana, was Chucho Valdés’ successor in the Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna before spending nine years as pianist, arranger and musical director with Arturo Sandoval. Since moving to Canada in 1998, he has become one of the country’s leading Latin jazz artists and educators.

A multiple JUNO winner and GRAMMY nominee, Durán won the 2024 Latin GRAMMY for Best Arrangement for “Night in Tunisia.”

At OLJC, Durán and Papiosco present Yoruba & Jazz, a project exploring the meeting of Yoruba-derived Afro-Cuban rhythmic traditions and contemporary jazz improvisation. They will also lead Saturday’s Afro-Cuban Jazz Workshop, linking the conference’s educational mission directly to its performance program.

Many Journeys, One Canadian Stage

Friday, September 25 features Rachelle Behrens, Anh Phung & Civil Lizard and the Orlando Cardoso Trio. Saturday brings Oná Ensemble, João Lenhari and Adis Rodríguez. Sunday closes with the Joy Lapps Project and Hilario Durán with Jorge Luis Papiosco.

What connects these artists is not a single nationality or a narrow definition of Latin jazz. It is movement—of people, traditions, ideas and musical languages across borders.

For three days in Ottawa, those paths will meet on the same stage, offering a vivid picture of a Canadian Latin jazz scene rooted in history while continuing to expand through migration, collaboration and cultural exchange.

Ottawa Latin Jazz Conference Celebrates the Strength of Canada’s Multicultural Diaspora in Its Third Edition

OTTAWA, ON – The Ottawa Latin Jazz Conference returns to the National Arts Centre from September 25–27, 2026, bringing a dynamic third edition shaped by a powerful and timely theme: celebrating the extraordinary talent of Canada’s multicultural diaspora and its growing impact on the evolution of Latin jazz.

Presented by Latin Hub Canada, this year’s conference highlights how artists from diverse cultural backgrounds have enriched Canada’s musical landscape, transforming the intersections between genres and redefining the future of Latin jazz.

The 2026 program features concerts, workshops, panel discussions, and networking sessions showcasing leading multicultural performers, including Anh Phung, Orlando Cardoso, Rachelle Behrens, Oná Ensemble, João Lenhari, Adis Rodriguez, Joy Lapps, and Grammy Award–winning Cuban-Canadian pianist, composer, and educator Hilario Durán, internationally recognized as one of the foremost ambassadors of Latin jazz.

Designed for students, professional musicians, and music enthusiasts, this year’s educational focus centers on Afro-Cuban rhythmic traditions and the importance of strengthening Latin jazz education in Canada. Participants will engage in an immersive learning experience that deepens understanding of the genre’s roots and contemporary expressions.

The Ottawa Latin Jazz Conference continues to serve as a vital meeting point — a unique platform where artists, educators, students, and audiences come together to collaborate, amplify the presence of Latin jazz within Canada’s artistic ecosystem, and shape new musical narratives that resonate far beyond the stage.

Event Information

Ottawa Latin Jazz Conference 2026
September 25–27, 2026
National Arts Centre – Public Spaces and Fourth Stage. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Check the complete artist lineup and schedule

Follow us on social media for more updates:
Instagram: @thelatinhubcanada
Facebook: Latin Hub Canada