Steeven Sandoval is one of the most acclaimed vocalists to perform with Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán over the past 115 years. He is the primera voz for the group and a violinist who has been with Mariachi Vargas for 14 years (since 1998).
Steeven is originally from Guadalajara where he grew up singing mariachi music with his family. His father, Ruben Sandoval, was his biggest influence early on. “My father played the trumpet, and ever since I was a kid, he would take me to a restaurant in Guadalajara called Mariachi Chapala where Mariachi Vargas and famous singers like Lucha Villa performed regularly. Back then, I was so shy I didn’t even have the courage to say hello to them. Every time I left, I wondered whether I would be good enough to play with them,” he says. Good enough he certainly was. Little did he know that he would turn out to be one of the greatest singers to perform with the world renowned Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán.

 
Steeven has traveled the world performing with Mariachi Vargas throughout the U.S., Latin America, France, Spain, Czech Republic and Canada. He has recorded numerous CDs with Mariachi Vargas and has written several songs. It is a great honor to have Steeven  lead the 2012 Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza Vocal Camp. Vanessa Alonzo from Houston and Michelle Quintero from San Antonio will work alongside Steeven as vocal coaches during the camp.

Students participating in the camp will give a FREE public presentation on Friday, June 29 at Texas A&M City Base Campus at 2206 Louis Bauer Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78235. The presentation will begin at 6:00 p.m., followed by a viewing of the 1-hour PBS documentary “Mariachi High.”

The camp is made possible with a generous grant from MATT.ORG and AHMSA International and help from MAUC (Mexican American Unity Council) and Texas A&M University – San Antonio.