A few years back, Laura Martinez Perez picked up a violin for the first time and joined a group of aspiring young musicians banded together at Santa Rosa’s Luther Burbank Center for the Arts learning to play mariachi music.

She joined at her mother’s urging — who hoped Perez would now be able to play music with her grandfather, a veteran mariachi musician from Mexico.

“My grandpa played in a mariachi for about 40 years,” said Perez, sitting amid a forest of music stands in the center’s rehearsal room, home base for the program. “My parents were really interested when they heard about it cause they’re like, 'We can arrange this and then you guys can play with your grandpa and connect with him in this way.’”

The music confluence of generations did occur with Perez playing tunes with her g

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