Mariachi Vargas to visit Laredo
as part of TAMIU’s Fiesta de Mariachi

Mexico’s legendary Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán will makes its first and historic Laredo concert appearance Saturday, April 26, at 8 p.m., at the Laredo Entertainment Center.
The concert will cap off the two-day Fiesta de Mariachi, an annual mariachi competition scheduled at Texas A&M International University April 25-26. The Fiesta de Mariachi, which includes mariachi workshops and a competition, is expected to draw 20 high schools and 10 middle schools from throughout Texas and the nation.
Mariachi Vargas’ appearance and the Fiesta de Mariachi are the result of a partnership that includes as sponsors Sames Motor Company, the Ford Salute to Education, the Laredo Entertainment Center, and TAMIU.
While Mariachi Vargas will provide a world-class performance and the best of traditional Mexican music for the public, the Fiesta de Mariachi will serve to introduce middle and high school students to a university community and identify future TAMIU students, said Dr. Rachel Cruz, assistant professor of music and director of TAMIU’s award-winning Mariachi Internacional.
The visit by Mariachi Vargas will complement the learning experience, she said."They are the mariachi that all of us aspire to be like. After the workshops and competition, students can actually have an opportunity to see what they are aiming for, as well as an opportunity to raise scholarship funds for the Department of Fine and Performing Arts," she said.
Ticket prices for the Mariachi Vargas concert are $10, $15, and $25 and are available at the Laredo Entertainment Center’s box office or through the Ticket Master website at www.ticketmaster.com. All proceeds from the concert will benefit student scholarships at TAMIU.
Hank Sames, president of Sames Auto Group, said Sames Motor Company and Ford Salute to Education is proud to sponsor the Mariachi Vargas concert in Laredo as well as the Fiesta de Mariachi.
"The concert will raise funds to further the educational activities of TAMIU and will provide a chance for students from throughout South Texas to know more about TAMIU and its offerings," he said, "My company is dedicated to education in Laredo. e have provided hundreds of scholarships though the Salute to Education program, and our new initiative, Sames Scholars, will bring hope and educational opportunity to many more young Laredoans. We hope the concert will be enjoyed by the community. The concertgoers will enjoy a great show while knowing that their admission fee is supporting a great cause."
Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, venerated as the "best mariachi of the world" by generations since 1897, was formed by four visionary musicians. While previously, folklore and songs in Mexico were passed down from generation to generation orally, Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán changed the traditional way music was handed down when in 1928, Silvestre Vargas hired a trained musician as musical director.
Mariachi Vargas members are all classically trained and have played with luminaries such as Pedro Infante, Miguel Aceves Mejía, Lola Beltrán, and José Alfredo Jiménez. Members have taken mariachi music around the world, and have performed in North, South, and Central America, as well as Europe and Asia. Mariachi Vargas has been the only mariachi group allowed to perform at the pyramids in Egypt. They have entertained countless heads of state, kings, ambassadors, and dignitaries and were the first mariachi to perform at the White House.
Taking what was once considered a form of music better fit for the cantina than the concert hall, Mariachi Vargas has elevated mariachi music to an art form that vividly illustrates the vigor, passion, grace, and tradition of the Hispanic culture.
For further information on the Mariachi Vargas concert of the Fiesta de Mariachi, please contact Dr. Gilberto Soto, associate professor of music and chair of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, at 326-2649, e-mail gsoto@tamiu.edu or visit offices located in Pellegrino Hall, 215B or call the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at 326-2180.