Mariachi Christmas is an annual holiday tradition that brings live music and Ballet Folklórico to the Macey Center stage.
Courtesy Photo

Bringing the bright and colorful sights and sounds of Mexican music and dance to life on the stage at New Mexico Tech’s Macey Center is Mariachi Christmas on Friday, Dec. 16, at 7:30 p.m. This year’s gala holiday performance features Mariachi Mexico Mestizo and Ballet Folklórico from the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors age 65 and older, $5 for youth age 17 and younger, and free for New Mexico Tech students and are available online at nmt.edu/pas.

A pre-show social hour, Comida Festiva, held from 6 to 7:30 p.m., will feature traditional posole, biscochitos, and drink specials. Cost is $10 for the general public and $5 for NMT students.

Mariachi Mexico Mestizo, under the direction of Francisco Loera, was created in 2020 to showcase the talents of musicians from the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas. Celebrating their ancestral cultural heritage of Mexico, Mariachi Mestizo will perform some of the most beloved canciones and sones of the venerated mariachi tradition. The group has performed throughout the United States.

The Ballet Folklórico troupe is composed of university students pursuing degrees in a variety of subjects. Led by Miguel Peña, UTRGV artistic director, the group has won numerous awards, including national recognition at the biennial National College Dance Festival held at the JFK Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

The show is accompanied by a narration about the history of these lively and unique music and dance traditions. Each region of Mexico has its own colorful and intricate costumes, songs and instrumentation, with the violins, trumpets, guitarron, vihuela, jarocha (Mexican harp) and vocals.

“Our Mariachi Christmas concert is always a beautiful show and one of the most well-attended of the year,” said Ronna Kalish, New Mexico Tech Performing Arts Series director. “It’s a great way to get yourself and your family into the Christmas spirit.”

The show also will be livestreamed on the PAS Facebook and YouTube pages, with links to those sites through the PAS website, nmt.edu/pas. Sponsors of the show are: the City of Socorro, A-1 Quality Redi Mix, El Defensor Chieftain, Presbyterian Socorro General Hospital, EMRTC, and First State Bank.

NM Tech Performing Arts Series