San Antonio’s Mariachi Extravaganza winners will travel to Ashland, Oregon to perform at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Green Show. Mariachi Cascabel from Rio Grande City High School in Rio Grande City and Karenn Lazo from Roma will perform July 26-31.

Mariachi Cascabel was selected as first place winners in the high school category, and Karenn Lazo as “Best Mariachi Vocalist in the U.S.,” by members of the internationally acclaimed and Mexico City based Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán. Karenn, along with the 14 members of Mariachi Cascabel, will perform 4 thirty-five minute shows July 26-31 under the direction of Alex Rodriguez, director of Mariachi Cascabel.

The all-expense paid trip is made possible by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Green Show curated by associate producer Claudia Alick. This is the second consecutive year producers have invited San Antonio’s Mariachi Extravaganza winners to participate. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is one of the most prestigious events of its kind in the U.S. and has been in existence for 76 years. It is one of the oldest and largest professional non-profit theaters in the nation (osfashland.org). Mariachi Cascabel and Karenn Lazo will see a modern production of the Shakespeare tragicomedy Measure for Measure during their stay in Ashland. The play features Las Colibri, a 3-piece mariachi music ensemble made up of female mariachi musicians from California. The students will perform with the groups’ lead singer Susie Garcia during a Green Show performance.

The San Antonio’s Mariachi Extravaganza is one of the largest and longest running mariachi music festivals of its kind in the U.S. The Extravaganza has provided opportunities for mariachi group and vocal competition winners to showcase their talents in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Roswell, New Mexico; Ashland, Oregon; and Quad Cities, Illinois. Visit mariachimusic.com for information on San Antonio’s 17th Annual Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza November 27 – December 4. Visit osfashland.org for more information on the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.  See http://osfashland.org/news/releases/article.aspx?id=160 for Green Show dates and times.