Amy Lindesmith - Violin 3
Clay Zapata - Trumpet 2
Elizabeth Flinn- Concert Violin 1, Instructor
Francesca Mosley - Violin 2
Greg Hallman - Backup Guitarron
Juan Santana - Guitar, Lead Vocals
Julie Pfeifer - Trumpet 1
Julio Gascon - Vihuela
Maribelen Ruffin - Violin 1
Paul Gomez - Guitarron
Robert Ruiz - Vihuela/Guitar, Lead Vocals, Instructor
Wilma Ruiz - Flute

Students and professionals wishing to audition for permanent
positions, please call 405-579-3693 or email info@enye.com.

Amy Lindesmith was born in Florida and is from Japanese, Cherokee, and Caucasian decent. She has lived in Norman, OK since she was 10 years old. She began playing piano at 4 years old and began playing violin in 5th grade. She received a Geology Scholarship in 1999 from the University of Oklahoma where she attended for 2 years before she attended Oklahoma State University in Okmulgee, Oklahoma to get her Associates in Culinary Arts. She and her husband, Ben Lindesmith, are the owners of Silent Planet Video Productions. Aside from helping her husband with their company and performing with Mariachi Orgullo, Amy raises her two children and has applied to the University of Oklahoma to pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education. Amy joined Mariachi Orgullo in March 2005. What Amy likes about joining Mariachi Orgullo de America is the opportunity to play music again and the friendships she has made.
Picture to come.	Clay Zapata - Bio to come.
Elizabeth Flinn is originally from Erie, Pennsylvania, where both of her parents teach music. Elizabeth began studying the violin at the age of three, and at age 10 she enrolled in the Preparatory Division of the Cleveland Institute of Music. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma, where she was a National Merit Scholar, with degrees in both music and English literature. Aside from her work with Mariachi Orgullo, Elizabeth performs with the Ft. Smith (Arkansas) Symphony Orchestra, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, the Lawton Philharmonic, the Tulsa Philharmonic, the Erie Chamber Orchestra, and the Erie Philharmonic. When she is not performing, Elizabeth gives private violin lessons in Norman, OK.
Picture to come.	Francesca Quintilla Mosley was born in Sacramento, CA, but was raised in Norman, OK. She is of African American, Native American (Chickasaw & Choctaw), Mexican, and German decent. She has played the violin since the 5th grade. Upon graduating from Norman North High School in 2004, Francesca attended the University of Central Oklahoma for two years to study Forensic Science,but then went to the University of Oklahoma to pursue a degree in Music Education were she taught the beginning class for violin and viola with the Sooner String Project. In 2008, she returned to the University of Central Oklahoma to continue pursuing her degree in Forensic Science.
Greg Hallman was born in Oklahoma City on November 16, 1980. His mother is from Monterrey, Mexico and his father is from Oklahoma. In 1997, he was a rapper in a group called, The Con Artist. Two years later he performed in a Salsa band called Los Bomberos as a conga player. In 1999, Greg began to attend the University of Oklahoma and in 2000 co-founded a Latin Jazz group called Conjunto Clave. He was a lead singer for the group until 2002. In Feb of 2001, he co-found Mariachi Orgullo de America and began singing with Son del Barrio in June of that year. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2002 with a Bachelor in Latin American Studies. In 2003, he attended Colombia University in New York. While in New York he won 3rd place in a Free-Style Club Samari Competition. When he was visiting home in Oklahoma, he would play bass for the First Hispanic Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. He graduated from Colombia University in 2005 with his Master Degree in Communications and Education. . He currently is working on his PHD in Communication and Education at the University of Colombia in New York but continues to play bass with Mariachi Orgullo de America when he is in town. He says he likes playing with the group because it’s the best Mariachi in town.
	Juan Santana Garcia was born in Monterrey, Nuevo León, México on July 26, 1962. As a child, he saved up his money and bought his first guitar. He began studying guitar on his own. When he was thirteen years old, he moved to Lubbock, TX. There he worked as a radio personality for KLFB and KCLR. During this time he also performed with Mariachi Flores as a singer and song writer. In 1988 in addition to performing with Mariachi Flores, Juan began performing with Israel Barantes. Together they formed a tropical music group called Algeria 88. They performed together for four years until Juan decided to move to Oklahoma. In 1994, Juan joined a group called Conjunto Regional Hermanos Rios. Currently, Juan performs with Mariachi Orgullo de América and operates his own roofing and remodeling company. He is also the father of nine children. Juan feels that joining Mariachi Orgullo has been a satisfying experience and is very proud to be a part of the group.
Julie Pfeifer - Bio to come.		Picture to come.
Picture to come.	Julio Gascon was born in El Paso, TX and is from Mexican decent. His mother is from Delicias, Chihuahua and his father is from San Juan De Los Lagos,Jalisco. He began playing the saxophone in the 6th grade. Shortly after, he began playing guitar, vihuela, and trumpet. He performed at the music programs in Donna High School in Rio Grande Valley, TX from 1997-2001. He joined Mariachi Orgullo in 2006 and feels that joining this group allows him to interpret a tradition that will never end.
Maria Belen Ruffin was born in Oklahoma City, OK. She is from Spanish, Sicilian, and Mexican decent. She began playing violin in 3rd grade. She is currently a junior at the Classen School of Advance Studies. She has participated in several orchestras including her school orchestra, All State, Oklahoma Youth Orchestra, NCHL, and Tri State. She began playing with Mariachi Orgullo in Oct 2005 becoming the Mariachi's youngest musician. What Maria Belen likes most about playing with Mariachi Orgullo is performing fun music and dancing, the opportunity to perform in front of an audience, to show her talent, and the sense of family among the other musicians.
Picture to come.	Paul Gomez - Bio to come.
Robert Ruiz was born in San Antonio, TX. He began playing trumpet in 6th grade, and joined the Spanish church choir at St. Bridget's Catholic Church soon after. He joined Mariachi Estrellas de Tejas when he was twelve-years-old and began singing as well. He then went on to play for Mariachi Azteca and started his own group as a senior in high school called Mariachi Almas de Oro. He arranged music, played guitar and sang for the group. He came to the University of Oklahoma as a National Scholar in pursuit of an engineering degree in computer science. His freshman year, Robert co-founded the first OU Latin ensemble, Echos de las Américas. He is currently pursuing a degree in Vocal Performance. In 2002, Robert and a group of other individuals founded Mariachi Orgullo de América. Soon after he helped found Son del Barrio and established Enye Music. He is also the owner of Enye Group and is a Partner for Enye Media.Robert is now the musical director of Mariachi Orgullo de America and is extremely proud of the group's diversity, and being able to have his family so close to the music he loves.
	Wilma Maritza Ruiz was born in Wichita, KS. Because her father was in the Air Force, she was raised throughout the US. She began playing piano at age seven but switched to flute at age nine. She performed in junior high and high school playing in Concert Band and Marching Band. She graduated from Midwest City High School and began attend the University of Oklahoma. Currently she is the Director of Operations for Énye Media and Énye Music, performs in Mariachi Orgullo de America and Son del Barrio, and is a student at the University of Phoenix. What joining Mariachi Orgullo de América means to her is the knowledge that she gains about her husband's culture and sharing it with their four children.
Mariachi Orgullo Past Members