Samantha Cabral

Samantha Cabral is the lead trumpet player for Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, the first all-female professional mariachi ensemble in the United States and a two-time Latin GRAMMY nominee. A graduate of UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music, she has performed, toured, and recorded with Mariachi Reyna since 2019. She is a member of both the Latin and American Recording Academies (GRAMMYs), a community of music creators and professionals who help support, uplift, and advocate for the people who make and shape music.

Samantha’s musical journey began at age 9, when she joined her grade school band, and her passion for mariachi music took root at age 14. From her earliest years in school mariachi programs, she traveled annually to attend workshops across the country, taught by some of the most respected and influential mariachi musicians. Throughout high school, she performed and competed as a member of Mariachi Tesoro de San Fernando, part of the Mariachi Masters Apprentice Program under the direction of Jesús ''Chuy'' Guzmán of Mariachi Los Camperos. With this ensemble, she earned first place at the 2018 California State Fair’s Youth Mariachi Competition. That same year, as a senior in Troy High School’s Jazz Ensemble, she received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award—the highest interscholastic honor given to a jazz musician.

Her professional career highlights include performances at prestigious venues such as The Hollywood Bowl, Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara, Mexico; SoFi Stadium; Dodger Stadium; Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts; the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.; and numerous concert halls across the United States. Through her work with Mariachi Reyna, Samantha has performed as a backing musician for celebrated artists including Los Horóscopos de Durango, Lupita Infante, Ángeles Ochoa, Marisela, Ángela Aguilar, Lila Downs, and others. Most recently, she performed as a backing musician for global superstars Karol G and Becky G on the main headlining stage at the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. In August of 2026, Samantha shared the Hollywood Bowl stage with the LA Philharmonic Symphony, Trio Los Panchos, and Los Tigres Del Norte at Gustavo Dudamel’s ''Fiesta,'' celebrating his 17-year tenure as Music & Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

In March 2026, Samantha received recognition as a member of Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles when the ensemble was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in Sacramento. The honor celebrated the group’s cultural legacy alongside eight other inductees, including Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Samantha’s recording credits feature lead trumpet on the albums ¡Qué Vivan las Mujeres! (2021) and Alma de Reyna: 30 Aniversario (2025), the latter earning a Latin GRAMMY nomination. She also contributed to several singles, including Te Vas o Te Quedas (2024) and Ahora (2024).

Beyond the stage, Samantha is a dedicated educator. She earned her California Secondary Teaching Credential from California State University, Fullerton, and has been teaching since 2022. She has served as a middle school teacher in Orange County, bringing her passion for music, literacy, and student empowerment into the classroom.

''The LR19043B Bach trumpet is exceptionally designed. It plays incredibly in tune, bringing ease to the performer in terms of playing in the center of the horn, and has remarkable consistency throughout its range. It produces a full, brilliant sound in the upper register, and responds effortlessly to the stylistic demands of mariachi performance— from crisp articulations and expressive vibrato to powerful fortissimo playing. At the same time, it maintains a beautifully delicate, resonant tone at the softest dynamic levels, making it an incredibly versatile trumpet to play on.''