Michael Rael was born in 1950 and raised in Questa , New Mexico. Mr. Rael is the Judge for the village of Questa. Michael started playing music at the age of 13 and has collaborated with a wide variety of Northern New Mexico Musicians. His love for the music shines every time he is on stage.
Interviewee Name: Michael Rael
Interview Date: April 12th, 2021
Interviewer: Chris Arellano
Interview Location: Michael’s office in Questa, New Mexico
Topic covered: Michael’s long history as a local and traveling musician
Listen to Part 1:
Listen to Part 2:
This interview is part of Northern New Mexico Music: Past and Present, a project of the nonprofit, Questa Creative Council, dedicated to strengthening community through arts, culture, history, and education. This project is supported in part by New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts and Taos Community Foundation.
Kate was born and raised in Cerro, NM, went to school in Cerro, then Questa High School, was married at 18 and soon after became a mother of two children. She worked as a cashier for much of her life and then went into cooking, which she loves. She takes seriously her responsibilities as a mother and with her volunteer work in her community. At the time of the interview, she was the co-director of the North Central NM Food Pantry.
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