Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Mariachi Los Leñadores, a student-run organization and ensemble at Stephen F. Austin State University, will present “Una Noche De Serenatas” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, in the Music Recital Hall in Wright Music Building on the SFA campus.
“One of the traditions in the Mexican culture is to serenade a loved one with a mariachi,” said Dr. J.D. Salas, associate professor of tuba in the SFA School of Music. “This recital will serve as a serenade to the SFA and Nacogdoches communities following the group’s fall semester of rehearsals and performances.”
Los Leñadores will perform several well-known mariachi favorites, such as “Amor Eterno,” “Volver” and “Hermoso Cariño,” in addition to other traditional mariachi favorites.
The group was formed during the fall of 2018 by senior music education major Danny Chavera Jr. Originally from Dilley, Chavera drew from his own experiences performing in high school, where almost every school in predominantly Hispanic areas had a mariachi ensemble as part of the music education experience. The SFA group consists of student musicians on trumpet, guitar and violin, accompanied by the traditional mariachi string instruments, including the vihuela and guitarron.
Los Leñadores has performed at several local and area events, such as the Nacogdoches Dia de los Muertos Fiesta, the Texas State Forest Festival in Lufkin, and the Nacogdoches Multicultural Festival.
The concert is free to attend; donations will be accepted. The group has been fundraising to purchase instruments that will remain with the SFA student ensemble as its members graduate. Most recently, enough funds were raised to purchase a guitarron. Future fundraising will aid in purchasing mariachi uniforms.
For more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.