MARIANA TIRSA
Musician · Interdisciplinary Artist ·
Based in: Asheville, North Carolina
Identity: Bilingual musician, interdisciplinary artist, creative facilitator, community builder
Current core themes: Mexican-American heritage, feminine ancestry, bilingual expression, cultural memory
Current projects: 3 months in Oaxaca, Mexico (Winter 25-2026) — language immersion, cultural reconnection, workshop facilitation, songwriting, community building, & next album germination.
About Mariana
Body of Work
01 · Musician
bilingual singer-songwriter, folk/Latin/contemplative traditions, Americana, alt-country, three albums recorded
02 · Interdisciplinary Artist
music, spoken word, visual art, installations, textile, ceramics, community-based practice
03 · Creative Facilitator
workshops and collaborative spaces for voice, story, journaling, archetypes, and meaning-making
Artist Residencies
2025-26 · Oaxaca, Mexico — 3-month cultural immersion, workshop facilitation, and album development
2017 · The Lake District, UK — Songwriting artist in residence for Ray Fest, UK. Three week immersion in the UK with two songs written and recorded with workshop presentation.
Ongoing Projects
Mujer — Album & Tour (performances, community settings, accompanying workshops)
Mi Voz / My Voice Workshop Series — bilingual community arts workshops: Frida Kahlo art journal as touchstone; music listening + art journaling + spoken word circle
Community Arts Programming — creative spaces for communities around identity, memory, expression
MUSIC Runaway Horse
MUJER (Woman) album
Mujer (Woman) is my debut bilingual album and the origin point of my interdisciplinary practice. Released in 2025, it weaves music, poetry, and spoken word across English and Spanish — drawing from my mother's memoir journals, the mystical tradition of the rosary, and three months of deep immersion in Oaxaca, Mexico, where I reconnected with my Mexican heritage and found my artistic voice. More than a record, Mujer is the work that taught me that music, visual art, storytelling, and community facilitation are not separate paths — they are one. It is a tribute to my mother, Alicia Cahue, a reclamation of Latina feminine creativity, and a living document of what happens when an artist finally comes home to herself.
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Mi Voz + Poem
(c.Mariana Tirs, Alicia Cahue 2023)
En estas paginas desnudas
Digo lo que no puedo decir
Mi corazon no aguanta sufrir
Hora por hora
Noche y dia
En mis lagrimas repremidas
Mido lo que quiero soltar
En la poesia de San Juan
Veo mi voz poeta
Mi corazon lucha vivir
Pulmon y pecho
Mano y braso
Voy a escribir
Voy a escribir
Mi vos, mi vos, mi vos …..
Esta es mi vos, esta es mi vos
Mi vos, mi vos, mi vos….
Esta es mi vos
Esta es mi vos
Poem
In Answer To your question
Why are you here? Or one of the things I never dreamt about.
I know so little about poetry yet today I want to write a poem in the style of San Juan de la cruz.
Where do I look for such poetry?
I’m studying poetry for the first time in my life
Probabaly a revelation in my life is about to come
For poetry is the second most beauitful thing that exists in the world for me
Even if I don’t understand most of what poets say
Perhaps here now at at last I will understand what poets do mean
I would like to write like as San Juan de La cruz
Becasue I want to write poetry about my relationship with God
That is what I’m here to learn
En los caminos mysteriososSigo mi fe espiritu y alma
En las oraciones de mi vida
Pido por el artista y poeta
Mi corazon pide a dios
Calma y paz
Letra y aire
Voy a escribir
Voy a escribir
Mi vos, mi vos, mi vos …..
Esta es mi vos, esta es mi vos
Mi vos, mi vos, mi vos….
Esta es mi vos
Esta es mi vos
En los caminos mysteriosos
Sigo mi fe espiritu y alma
En las oraciones de mi vida
Pido por el artista y poeta
Mi corazon pide a dios
Calma y paz
Letra y aire
Voy a escribir
Voy a escribir
Mi vos, mi vos, mi vos …..
Esta es mi vos, esta es mi vos
Mi vos, mi vos, mi vos….
Esta es mi vos
Esta es mi vos
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My Voice
(lyrics by Mariana Tirsa & Alicia Cahue c.2024)
In these naked pages
I say what I cannot sayMy heart cannot bear to suffer Hour by hour
Night and dayIn my repressed tears
I measure what I want to releaseIn the poetry of San Juan
I see my poetic voiceMy heart struggles to live
Lungs and chest
Hand and armI will write
I will write
My voice, my voice, my voice .....This is my voice, this is my voice
My voice, my voice, my voice.... This is my voice
This is my voice- Poem-
In Answer To your question
Why are you here? Or one of the things I never dreamt about.I know so little about poetry yet today I want to write a poem in the style of San Juan de la Cruz.
Where do I look for such poetry?
I’m studying poetry for the first time in my lifeProbably a revelation in my life is about to come
For poetry is the second most beautiful thing that exists in the world for me Even if I don’t understand most of what poets say
Perhaps here now at at last I will understand what poets do mean
I would like to write like as San Juan de La cruz
Because I want to write poetry about my relationship with God
That is what I’m here to learnIn the mysterious paths
I follow my faith, spirit and soulIn the prayers of my life
I ask for the artist and the poetMy heart asks God for Calm and peace
Word and air
I'm will write
I'm will write
My voice, my voice, my voice .....This is my voice, this is my voice My voice, my voice, my voice.... This is my voice, This is my voice
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Mariana Tirsa: lead vocals tracks 1-6, keyboard synth track 5, piano tracks 1 & 6
Alan Burrows: bass tracks 2,3,4, & 5
Jack Daniel: drums tracks 2,3,4, & 5
Cheryl Cher T Pepper: percussion track 5
Eliah Kurko: bells and vocal chorus track 5
Michael Kurko: vocal chorus track 5
Joseph Manzello: electric guitar tracks 3 & 5
Robert Musseman III: acoustic guitar 1,2, 3, 4, 5, & 6, harmony vocal tracks 2, 3,4,& 5,
Jana Pochop: synth performance, programming & bass tracks 1& 6
Robin T. Smith: piano tracks 2,3,4, & 5
Jekaterina Grigorjeva: violin track 5
Sadie Ward: harp track 5
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Production (Mujer, Mercy, Starlight Love, Roses): Mariana Tirsa and Robert Musseman III
Production (Mi Voz): Jana Pochop - Golden Hour Production, Albuquerque, NM
Engineering: Jake Waters (Fire Sation Studio, San Marcos, TX) and Andre Moran (Cedar Creek Studio, Austin, TX)
Mixing: Max Lorenz (Good Danny’s Studio) and Russell Tanner
Mastering: Russell Tanner
Photography: Elena Mudd Photography (front cover and …)
Photography: Mariana Tirsa (collage photo)
Photography: Omar Mena Photography (group photo)
Graphic Design: Emily Shirley
Mi Voz (My Voice) — tribute to mother's unfinished dream as a poet; lyrics from her memoir journals; spoken word from her published poem; inspired by St. John of the Cross
Mercy — mystical traditions, the prayer of the rosary, held by mother and grandmother across generations
3 Month Artist and Cultural Immersion in Mexico
Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, México
Dec. 2025-March 2026
International Community, I was living in Oaxaca City
Mural of Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo
Mountains of Central Mexico leaving Oaxaca
