Encore Series presents Grammy Award-winning Grupo Fantasma

By Kristina Kenney
University News Service
March 19, 2012

Nationally acclaimed and Grammy Award-winning Latin funk orchestra Grupo Fantasma will perform at the LBJ Student Center Ballroom at Texas State University-San Marcos on March 31 at 7:30 p.m. as part of the university’s Encore Performing Arts Series.

Tickets for the event are $5 for students, $15 general admission and $40 VIP Lounge access. The VIP ticket price is for ages 21 and up only and includes two drinks, full private bar with service, appetizers, exclusive lounge area admittance with easy access to the dance floor and a special meet-and-greet with the band.

Austin-based Grupo Fantasma formed in 2000 and has been praised as one of the most important independent acts in the Latin genre since. It has continually created one of the most distinctive musical voices to come out of the United States in the last decade. In 2011, the group won its first Grammy Award for “El Existential,” the band’s latest album.

“Considering the homegrown effort we’ve built over the last decade, including the immense undertaking and process of producing this album all by ourselves, it feels unbelievable to finally go home as winners,” said band guitarist Adrian Quesada.

The group, which includes several Texas State alumni, draws inspiration from a number of different musical influences such as cumbia, salsa, old-school funk, reggae and more.

The Encore Performing Arts Series is coordinated through the College of Fine Arts and Communication and offers an annual selection of guest artists that compliment the outstanding array of college-wide art, music, theatre, and dance student and faculty offerings at Texas State with performances by nationally and internationally renowned artists.

For more information on the event or to purchase tickets, please visit www.encoreseries.txstate.edu/. To learn more about Grupo Fantasma, visit the band’s website at www.grupofantasma.com.