Asiah Mendoza
Assistant Editor
After struggling because of the pandemic, Mariachi Son de Esperanza is seeking recruitment for spring 2022.
Advised by Alyssa De La O, academic services coordinator, and instructed by Antonio Briseño, the group held its first meeting Dec. 1 via Zoom.
De La O said the group is open to all students, regardless of experience or skill level. The group is planning to order instruments for students in need of one.
“We will be able to work with you,” De La O said. “Even if you have no experience, we will start from the ground up with you. The whole point is to help you grow as musicians and performers.“
Mariachi Son De Esperanza will begin practice in January 2022 and perform at Texas A&M University-San Antonio’s Festival De Cascarones.
De La O has been performing since she was in high school. In addition to being the mariachi program’s adviser, she is an English graduate student at A&M San Antonio and will be performing with the group.
“I help get the practices together,” De La O said. “Right now I’m just recruiting, but I’ll be playing violin and doing vocals.”
Briseño, retired academics, started the mariachi ensemble at the University of Texas at Brownsville in 1998. More recently, Briseño teaches applied voice and mariachi at Our Lady of the Lake University.
“I’m very excited to help Texas A&M University-San Antonio start their program,” Briseño said.
De La O said she hopes the group will help students embrace their culture.
“Everybody deserves to be accepted,” De La O said. “If you feel like you can be closer to your culture through music, we’re going to help you get there.”
To find out more about Mariachi Son De Esperanza, find them on JagSync or contact Alyssa De La O at adelao@tamusa.edu
