Hélio
Monroy

Helio Monroy Ramirez de Arellano is a Mexican musician, composer, and actor whose work creates a vibrant bridge between traditional music and the contemporary stage.

Trained on the guitar from an early age, he quickly developed a passion for Latin American popular music and the protest movements of the 1970s. Curious by nature, he learned to play a wide range of string instruments — including vihuela, jarana, and requinto — as well as Andean flutes. He later expanded his musical language through electric guitar, rock, and jazz, cultivating a rich sense of timbre and arrangement.

At the age of 23, he arrived in France with fellow musicians — a journey that would become a lifelong path. Settling in Paris, he collaborated with various ensembles while deepening his practice of the violin and musical writing. Since then, he has developed a singular artistic career, blending music, theatre, and musical direction.

In 1990, he founded El Mariachi Mezcal, which has become one of the leading ensembles of traditional Mexican music in France. For over three decades, this Franco-Mexican group has brought audiences to life with performances that are festive, colorful, and tinged with nostalgia.

With this ensemble, Helio also created a lecture-concert dedicated to Mexican music, presented at venues such as the Sorbonne, the Théâtre Public de Montreuil, and the Maison de l’Amérique latine.

As a conductor and arranger, he has notably collaborated with Jeane Manson and taken part in a variety of projects ranging from Franco-Mexican chanson to Latin music, pursuing an artistic vision deeply rooted in cultural dialogue and transmission.