San Antonio, Texas (October 17, 2022)…The 28th Annual Mariachi Extravaganza will host the national mariachi competitions in San Antonio on November 16-18th at the Lila Cockrell Theatre.
The 28th Annual Mariachi Extravaganza serves host to the largest, longest running and most competitive national mariachi group, vocal and original songwriting competitions in the world. The event attracts over eight hundred of the most talented mariachi musicians, vocalists and composers from the U.S and culminates in a concert featuring the competition winners and Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlán.
The Extravaganza is one of the most important mariachi music festivals in the nation and has influenced the growth of mariachi music programs and the careers of Latino artists in the U.S. Most importantly, the Mariachi Extravaganza provides a platform to promote higher education and cultural preservation among Hispanic youth. “The Mariachi Extravaganza fosters mariachi music excellence and promotes the development and knowledge of mariachi music among young artists. Competition winners receive awards and recognition, scholarships and grants and travel and performance opportunities,” says Cynthia Munoz, producer of the annual event.
The National Mariachi Group Competition takes place Thursday, November 17 in the heart of downtown San Antonio at the Lila Cockrell Theatre. Competitions are held in 3 categories: Middle School, High School and College/University. The competition starts with the middle school category followed by high school and college/university groups. Judges for this year’s competitions will be members of Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlán (MNT) from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. MNT is one of the world’s top performing groups who is making their debut performance at this year’s Extravaganza. The group performs under the direction of Fernando Martínez, former vocalist and violinist of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán (MV) and brother to Carlos Martinez (current musical director of MV). Judges will select first, second and third place winners in the middle school and college/university categories and select six finalists from the high school category. The finalists will return on Friday to compete in the High School Finals. First place winners in each of the three categories will be invited to sing in the evening performance on Friday, November 18th. Click here for a full schedule of events.
The public is invited to attend all competitions. Admission wristbands are required and can be purchased at the Lila Cockrell Theatre entrance. The one-time admission is good for the three competitions on November 17 & 18th. The tickets for the Mariachi Extravaganza concert on Friday, November 18th at 7:30 pm can be purchased at ticketmaster.com.
Presenting sponsors for the 28th Annual Mariachi Extravaganza include Cano Health, KHS America Academic Alliance, and H-E-B. Supporting and media sponsors include Whataburger, Texas Public Radio and Telemundo.
