The UTRGV Mariachi Aztlán has an exciting summer planned with performances in Chicago Illinois, Denver, Colorado, and Santa Barbara, California. Shown here are members of the Mariachi Aztlán in rehearsal. (Courtesy Photo)
Friday, June 21, 2019
Community, Around Campus
By Letty Fernandez
EDINBURG, TEXAS – The UTRGV Mariachi Aztlán has an exciting summer planned with performances in Chicago Illinois, Denver, Colorado, and Santa Barbara, California.
“The award-winning ensemble will promote UTRGV, celebrate cultural heritage, showcase our talented students across the nation, and recruit students nationwide to our mariachi program, “said Dr. Dahlia Guerra, assistant vice president for Public Art and founder of the mariachi program.
The first performance on Mariachi Aztlán’s summer concert schedule is a concert at the 5th Annual Chicago Mariachi Festival at Millennium Park, Pritzker Pavilion, on Sunday, June 30. This is the largest mariachi event in the nation, attracting more than 25,000 patrons.
On July 14th, Mariachi Aztlán returns to the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley by popular demand, for the third consecutive year. This concert will also feature members of the Ballet Folklorico UTRGV. The two ensembles are setting a standard of excellence for collegiate ensembles across the nation. A second performance in Colorado is scheduled at the Lone Tree Art Center in Denver, Colorado.
Mariachi Aztlán finishes off the summer with a performance at the Santa Barbara Mariachi Festival at the Santa Barbara Bowl in Santa Barbara, California on August 3rd. They will accompany Aida Cuevas, internationally Grammy-award winning Mexican singer and actress. Mariachi Aztlán are excited to perform with Aida Cuevas on her upcoming fall concerts in continuation of her “Totalmente Juan Gabriel” North American Tour.
Members of the Mariachi Aztlán hail from all over the US and represent a variety of disciplines. Clyde Guerra, violinist, has been a member of the mariachi program for almost five years. He graduated in May with a BA in Music and completed prerequisite courses for medical school, all with a 4.0 GPA. He was recently awarded the Presidential Graduate Research Assistantship for graduate study.
“As member of Mariachi Aztlán, I have traveled throughout the United States. These experiences performing at amazing venues have been a great opportunity for me and for the other students to grow musically, academically, and personally.”
Francisco Loera, Co-Director of Mariachi Aztlán, describes the summer concerts. “These concert venues are the most prestigious venues in the US, and mariachi ensembles perform by invitation only. No other collegiate mariachi program in the nation has reached the level of recognition as UTRGV Mariachi Aztlán.”
The Mariachi Aztlán is working on a new CD to be released at FESTIBA 2020 in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the UTRGV Mariachi Program.
For more information on Mariachi Aztlán, call (956) 665-2353
EVENT CONTACT
Dahlia.Guerra@utrgv.edu
AVP Public Art at UTRGV / (956) 665-2353
ABOUT UTRGV
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.
UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.