Mariachi concerts start tonight

Mariachi Aztlán and Mariachi Juvenil Aztlán will perform at 7 tonight in the UTRGV Performing Arts Complex in Edinburg and at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Texas Southmost College Performing Arts Center in Brownsville.

The nationally recognized Mariachi Aztlán was founded in 1989 by Dahlia Guerra, assistant vice president of Public Art & Projects, and is co-directed by Francisco Loera, a senior lecturer in the School of Music.

“Mexican folk music is very beautiful and uplifting and our students have worked very hard on their music and to make this a really special program,” Guerra said. “And both groups are very capable, and I just think the university should be very proud of them.”

Kassandra Castillo, a music junior who plays violin and sings for Mariachi Juvenil Aztlán, has been in mariachi ever since she started playing as a sixth-grader.

“We’ve been practicing a lot lately, so it should be good,” Castillo said.

Her favorite song they will be performing is Juan Gabriel’s “Por qué me haces llorar.”

“Everybody should come,” Castillo said. “It’s going to be a great show.”

Both mariachi bands consist of students from several disciplines.

Biology junior Julian Fernandez practices with the Mariachi Atzlán last Thursday. “I auditioned to be a part of this group even though my major is bio,” Fernandez said. “I still wanted music to be a part of my life.”

Julian Fernandez, a biology junior who auditioned for Mariachi Aztlán, said he wanted music to be a part of his life. Fernandez has been involved in mariachi ever since middle school.

“This has been a really cool experience because I get to live, I guess, the best of both worlds,” he said. “I study my science and I get to do this as a hobby.”

Fernandez is grateful for the opportunity to play in mariachi bands in his middle and high schools and is appreciative that a lot of schools in the Rio Grande Valley give other students that opportunity as well.

“Mariachi is a very, like, big part of our culture down here, so in a Hispanic family it feels nice to have, like, a son or daughter being a part of mariachi,” he said.

The bands will perform a variety of songs, from fun and slow to emotional.

“A lot of us have a lot going on right now, but sometimes we just need a little escape, so that concert can be a student’s escape,” Fernandez said.

Admission to the concert is $5.