Long-Term Director of Community Musical Groups Recognized

By Misty Cryer

Carlsbad Wind Symphony and Mariachi Unido have a few things in common. First, they are non-profit community music groups. Second, musicians in the community are welcome to join them in rehearsals and performances. Third, both groups have benefited from a dedicated director for many years; that director is Paul Cosand.

“I taught in Arizona, and I taught in Loving—I taught there for 28 years—so after 36 years of teaching in the classroom, I retired in 2011. I continued with the mariachi band and the wind symphony,” said Cosand.

Carlsbad Wind Symphony has an upcoming concert at 7 p.m. on May 13 in the gym at Southeast New Mexico College. “All of our concerts are free to the public,” Cosand said.

“We’re finishing 21 years of the symphony being a community band here in Carlsbad. I’ve been the director for 20 of the 21 years,” he said.

For Mariachi Unido, Cosand said, “This is 20 years that we’re finishing up this spring. We will be celebrating our 20 years of being a community mariachi group. Mark Barela and I got students and people in the community and created this band.”

Mariachi Unido was founded in 2005, said Mark Barela-Eubank. “Paul and I worked together in Loving. I taught elementary music and middle, and he taught high school and middle school band. We became really good friends. We noticed that they played a lot of mariachi music at the churches. We got the idea of starting the mariachi band,” he said.

“We play for all kinds of community, city, and civic occasions. We just do it because we love the music and hope people like what we’re playing,” said Cosand. “We do ask for a fee if we’re playing for a birthday party or private parties,” he said, explaining that it covers expenses such as buying uniforms, music, and supplies.

Mariachi Unido performed recently at the Mesa Senior Citizen’s Center, Riverside Country Club, and the Little Theater in special events, according to the schedule shared by Cosand.

Barela-Eubank added that they have done weddings, funerals, receptions, Quinceañeras, and family reunions.

“I’m planning to do a public concert with everybody sometime this summer,” said Cosand. “We’ve performed at the Living Desert before for concerts. I would kind of like to do that again,” he said.

Cosand is retiring from the Carlsbad Wind Symphony soon. “This is my 50th year of directing band. It is time to pass the baton on to another person,” said Cosand. “It’s hard because I have enjoyed working with the wind symphony and the people and the students, and everybody that is a part of it. We’ve worked so hard to keep everything going.

“We have a wonderful board with the wind symphony,” he added. “It’s going to be up to them to choose whoever’s going to direct. There are a couple of people who I feel comfortable could take my place, but it’s up to the board to make that decision,” he said.

“The mariachi, I’m going to try to keep it going for another year or so and then try to hand it off, depending on how everything goes,” said Cosand. He said he and Mark Barela-Eubank have a good working relationship. When retiring from the mariachi band, he said, “I’m hoping Mark will say he’ll take over the leadership.”

Barela-Eubank said, “That’s the plan. I’ll continue directing the mariachi as long as I can until I can find my next person. Paul and I work great together. Hopefully, he’ll stay on the board even if he does retire, just to be a part of it.”

Cosand said he enjoys music. “It is a pleasure for me to be a part of an organization that plays music for other people that they can enjoy,” he said.

“Paul is probably one of the most amazing musicians and educators I’ve met,” said Barela-Eubank. “We’ve been through a lot together. We’ve traveled. We’ve taken our group and performed for the governor several times. We’ve done performances for the Fine Arts Education for the New Mexico Public Education Department. I nominated him for the state Emeritus Award. He deserves it. He is the biggest volunteer,” he said.

Paul Cosand can be contacted at 575-200-5138 and prefers text messages. He said the groups are open to anybody in the community who can play or sing. “We’ll be glad to get them into our practice.”

Donations are taken at performances, said Cosand. For those who wish to donate to these non-profit community groups, he said to contact him, and he’ll get donors in touch with the treasurers of the organizations.