Santa Rosa High School Conjunto Warriors to Perform at Texas State Capitol May 4th

Students are scheduled to perform during Rancho Alegre Conjunto Festival in Austin on Saturday May 5th

Austin, Texas – On Friday May 4^th, the Santa Rosa High School Conjunto Warriors will perform in the Texas State Capitol Extension Open Air Rotunda from 2 to 2:45 p.m., in advance of their debut at the Rancho Alegre Conjunto Festival at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin on Saturday May 5^th. This special performance is sponsored by Representative Oscar Longoria and coordinated by Austin’s Full Gallop.

The group, now in its second year, is made up of Santa Rosa High School students in the small town Santa Rosa, deep in the Rio Grande Valley. Instructed by veteran musician Juan Antonio Tapia, students learn traditional conjunto music on instruments standard in the genre, such as button accordion, bajo sexto, electric bass and drums. Tapia has decades of extensive knowledge and experience in Conjunto and Norteño music, having regularly played with legends such as Cornelio Reyna and most recently, Gilberto Perez.

Presented by Austin non-profit organization Rancho Alegre Radio, this year’s Rancho Alegre Conjunto Festival will be held at various venues in the Austin area. The annual showcase of traditional, accordion-driven music will feature over twenty different groups from all over Texas, including Jimenez, in addition to partnering with the Austin Tejano Music Coalition, who will be presenting the Austin round of their popular Tejano Idol talent search competition along with performances from previous contestants.

The festival kicks off Friday, May 4^th with an evening show at Stubb’s Graceland Grocery in Oak Hill from 4 to 8 p.m., with the main event taking place from 11 a.m. to midnight at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater and wrapping the weekend up with an early evening tardeada at One-2-One Bar on Sunday, May 6^th from 6-8 p.m. All events are free, open to the public, and all ages with adult.

Since beginning in 2012, the festival has grown year over year, and moved to Stubb’s over Cinco de Mayo weekend in 2017 after a two-year hiatus. In the four previous years, the festival has presented nearly 70 different groups and special guests. This year is no exception, with over a quarter of the lineup playing the festival for the first time. In addition to Jimenez, notable performers include legends Gilberto Perez Sr., Pepe Maldonado, Chano Cadena, Chencho & Frank Flores, and Bene Medina, as well as Austin groups Los Texas Wranglers and

Conjunto Los Pinkys. Rounding out the lineup are veterans and up-and-coming groups and future stars from Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley. Los Arcos Hermanos Peña, the veteran family band from Dimmitt, Texas, are scheduled to play a double bill, with a time slot on Saturday May 5^th at Stubb’s and the tardeada at One-2-One Bar on Sunday May 6^th.

In addition to the music at both Stubb’s locations, a wide variety of local food, arts and crafts and other vendors will be on-hand, in partnership with Austin’s own Las Ofrendas founder tk tunchez. Vendor applications are being accepted through Sunday, April 22^nd and information is available on the Rancho Alegre Radio website: http://www.ranchoalegreradio.org/festival/vendors

At the conclusion of Day Two Saturday May 5^th, the festival will attempt to set an official Guinness World Record for number of accordionists playing the classic Conjunto polka “Viva Seguin” at the same time. “We are very excited about this for a few reasons. One, ‘Viva Seguin’ is a standard song that nearly all Conjunto accordionists learn, so just about everyone who plays the instrument knows the song. This will allow for a wide cross section of players to participate. Two, it’s a chance to get Conjunto in the international record books.  And lastly, our headliner for this festival is Flaco Jimenez, whose father, Santiago Jimenez Sr., composed the song,” Cuellar said. According to the Guinness World Record website, no such record currently exists.

For festivalgoers and fans, Rancho Alegre Radio has launched a mobile app with performer biographies, lineup details, venue, vendor, and sponsor information, FAQ’s and more. The app is available on Google Play and the App Store.  More information about and a schedule of Rancho Alegre Radio’s events and other work is available on the organization’s website at ranchoalegreradio.org.

The Rancho Alegre Conjunto Festival is supported in part by Compadresmusic, Texas Folklife, Fern Landscapes LLC, El Norteño Foods, Lovemytejano.com, JF Mechanical, Gonzalo Rodriguez Quality Home Building and Maintenance, Austin Manual Therapy, and Full Gallop.

About Rancho Alegre Radio

Rancho Alegre Radio is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Tejano and Conjunto music. Projects include digitizing recordings, interviewing legendary and up-and-coming artists, maintaining and constructing a historical record of Tejano and Conjunto music, connecting artists with professional and business services, and presenting the annual Rancho Alegre Conjunto Festival and various events throughout the year.

About the Austin Tejano Music Coalition

The Austin Tejano Music Coalition is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in the latter part of 2005 and is comprised of Tejano artists, fans and industry professionals. Its mission is to support and expand the presence of a native Texas genre of music known as “Tejano” and its artistic contribution throughout the community of Austin and Central Texas; to preserve the historical and cultural significance of Tejano music by creating an environment of respect, understanding and appreciation; and to promote the advancement of Tejano music through unification, education, communication and public awareness. Its Tejano Idol talent search competition began in 2011.

About Las Ofrendas

Las Ofrendas is the creative work of tk tunchez. tk is the creative mind, maker and designer behind the Las Ofrendas creative brand, which includes digital art, handmade flower crowns, jewelry, and mucho mas.  Las Ofrendas is also the name under which tk organizes local events, markets and fun party spaces including Friday Fridays ATX, Luna Llena ATX and Fuego ATX.