Gertie Lopez
Join us for a complementary concert by Gertie and the T.O. Boyz on Thursday, July 28, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on the Madera Clubhouse Patio. There will be a cash bar.
Gertrude (Gertie) Lopez is the only female band leader on the Tohono O’odham Nation and continues to keep the traditional sound alive.
Gertie plays multiple instruments and plays at private and public events nationally. Gertie and the T.O. Boyz play their music at rodeos, concerts, and dances both on and off the reservation. She often plays for sacred events at the San Xavier Mission, as well as other village churches and private events.
Gertie is a leading force in the performance and preservation of Tohono O’odham culture and music in Arizona and Mexico. Since she was a little girl, she has been immersed in study, performance, and preservation of her tribe’s social dance music.
Gertie is currently employed by the San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation and works in the village of San Xavier. She manages the San Xavier Learning Center Tribal Library as a coordinator where she teaches, tutors, and mentors Tohono O’odham of all ages. The center provides library time for infant/toddler programs to senior services. She provides and helps secure resources for all aspects of community interest. Gertie teaches beginning guitar and provides guidance in all aspects of music for advanced students. In 2015, Gertie received the Outreach Service Award from the Arizona State Library Association. In 2020, she received her Early Childhood Teaching Certificate from Library Juice Academy. She has attended summer classes from Library Institute at the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University.
She is an outstanding ambassador of goodwill for Waila Music. She enjoys teaching music and singing to toddlers and Elders on the Tohono O’odham reservation. Gertie also is a mentor to youth on how to be a healthy musician.
“My goal is to preserve and share the traditional music of my people, the Tohono O’odham Tribe of Arizona, with the youth of our nation and to educate all people of the beauty and joy of Tohono O’odham people, our music, language, and culture,” Gertie says.