“Going Varsity in Mariachi,” is now on Netflix! This documentary captures the vibrant spirit of South Texas and the incredible journey of Edinburg North High School as they gear up for the prestigious Mariachi (Vargas) Extravaganza National Group Competition and the UIL State Competition. Huge congratulations to all of the Mariachi Directors who have dedicated their lives to growing this art form and especially to Abel Acuña and his dedicated students for their hard work and passion in bringing this story to life. A special shoutout to Sam Osborn, Julia Pontecorvo and Alejandra Vasquez for their stellar filming at the Mariachi Extravaganza—your work has landed on the biggest streaming platform in the world! Don’t miss out on this inspiring film about competitive high school mariachi. Watch it, share it, and let’s show Netflix and other streaming services that there are countless stories of our rich culture and phenomenal youth talent waiting to be told.

I had a chance to talk to Abel recently about this very exciting moment in his life (and all of our lives). We put together a timeline of his journey in mariachi music which goes back to almost when the Mariachi Extravaganza began 30 years ago, when Abel first competed in the music festival. Included are some significant moments when his relationship with Osmosis films began. Other significant moments that led to bringing mariachi music to the forefront of mainstream of American media are included:
1995 – Mariachi Extravaganza began in San Antonio
1996 – 1997 – Abel competed in the Mariachi Extravaganza with Edinburg North Mariachi Oro
1998 – Abel Graduated from Edinburg North High School
2004 – Abel attended UTRGV (UTPA) full time and began with playing with UTRVG’s Mariachi Aztlán
2009 – Abel graduated from UTRGV with a degree in Music Education
2010 – Abel performed at the Mariachi Extravaganza with Mariachi Siete Leguas and began teaching at Edinburg North High School. Rainlake filmed Mariachi High at the Mariachi (Vargas) Extravaganza 2010/2011 – Sebastien de la Cruz competed in the Mariachi (Vargas) Extravaganza Vocal Competition
2012 – Sebastien appeared on America’s Got Talent (a significant moment for mariachi on a major network) and Mariachi High aired on PBS in June and Abel performed with Mariachi Aztlán at the Smithsonian American Folklife Festival and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
2013 – Sebastien de la Cruz performed the National Anthem on the Spurs NBA Finals
2018 – Osmosis films reached out to Abel for a short film for Pop-Up Magazine
2019 – “Going Varsity in Mariachi” on Pop-Up Magazine was filmed 2019
2020 – “Going Varsity in Mariachi” was completed during covid and went live on YouTube June 5th. Osmosis Films decides to turn the short film into a documentary.
2021 – Osmosis Films films Edinburg North High School at the UIL Competition held at UTRGV in the Spring and later at the Mariachi (Vargas) Extravaganza December
2022 – The New York Times Magazine published “A Championship Season in Mariachi Country” on Nov. 6. The article was written by Cecilia Balli (a significant moment for mariachi in one of the top 2 newspapers in the U.S.). Eduardo Trevino from Humble, TX won first place in middle school vocals
2023 – Eduardo Trevino appears on America’s Got Talent (another significant moment for mariachi) 2024 – “Going Varsity in Mariachi” Documentary airs on Netflix starting August 29th

That’s a 30 year span from 1995 to 2024. Three decades have passed and more is yet to come.

Congratulations to Abel for receiving the Emerson Collective Fellowship designed to develop leadership and creativity among exceptional talent. With this award, Abel will produce a Mariachi Music Festival in McAllen, Texas June 26-28, 2025.

Thank you also to Osmosis Films for making the Mariachi (Vargas) Extravaganza part of Varsity in Mariachi. It is really fun to see the film and recognize so many faces. This is a film everyone will enjoy watching and a film that is going to have a significant impact on mariachi music across the board. Start preparing now for what will certainly be another boost in mariachi music across the nation!