Mariachi students earn top honors in San Antonio

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
December 7, 2010

Mariachi Nueva Generación and three mariachi vocal students from Texas State University-San Marcos received top honors at the Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza in San Antonio Dec. 4-5.

Mariachi Nueva Generación earned first place in the college/university division of the group competition beating four other groups from around the United States. Texas State senior Vanessa Moreno, graduate student Amy Zuniga and freshman Karen Zavala swept up the vocal competition winning first, second and third place.

“I’m so proud of all our students, faculty and staff for such an outstanding representation of Texas State University,” said John Lopez, director of Mariachi Nueva Generación. “The group came so far this semester and we accomplished so much more than we imagined.”

The Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza is a week-long mariachi festival in San Antonio ending with group and vocal competitions and leading up to a mariachi concert featuring Mexico City’s world-renowned Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán. This is the first year that one school has taken first place at the group competition as well as all places in the vocal competition. As first place winners, Mariachi Nueva Generación was invited to open for Mariachi Vargas at Saturday’s concert playing for an audience of over 4,000 people at the Municipal Auditorium.

“Who we are culturally and what we’ve known for the majority of our lives was performed naturally and at its highest at competition,” said Gino Rivera, music education sophomore. “It’s an incredible feeling to know that the emotion put forth by each member of our mariachi during that performance was received well and earned us the opportunity to open the Mariachi Vargas concert.”

For more information, contact Melissa Hernandez at (512) 245-7401 or via email at MH88@txstate.edu.