The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is bringing Tejano music to the stage with its new Tejano Ensemble class, which launched in February and is set to perform its first concert on April 15 at the Empire Theater.
The class, a hands-on program in which students register, practice, and perform, will back up seven Tejano and Conjunto music legends during the benefit concert Sonidos de San Antonio, supporting student scholarships at UTSA.
The featured performers include iconic artists Shelly Lares, Little Joe, Ruben Ramos, Santiago Jimenez, Jr., Ram Herrera, Patsy Torres, and Sunny Sauceda. Lares, co-director of the ensemble and UTSA Artist in Residence, noted that the students will be providing all the musical accompaniment, as the artists will not bring their own bands.
The ensemble, Sonido Tejano, consists of 14 students, including saxophonists, keyboardists, trumpeters, percussionists, a drummer, a trombonist, a bassist, and one student playing accordion, bajo sexto, and guitar. Four students also provide vocals. Another UTSA ensemble, Mariachi Los Paisanos, will open the two-hour concert, which starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $50 for general admission and $100 for VIP Meet and Greet, with proceeds funding the first scholarship for Sonido Tejano students.
Grammy-winning accordionist Sunny Sauceda expressed excitement about returning to San Antonio for the performance, recalling his early career on the local Tejano circuit and the impact of Selena Quintanilla-Perez’s death on the music community. Sauceda has a longstanding personal and professional relationship with Lares, describing her as a mentor and expressing pride in the students’ opportunity to perform alongside Tejano legends.
Lares teaches the ensemble every Monday evening, focusing on both instrumentation and the stylistic elements of Tejano music. “As soon as I learned we could have the class, I thought we’ll have to throw a concert and showcase these students,” Lares said. “We want to show what we are doing at UT-San Antonio. If this had been at a university when I was growing up, I would have enrolled in a heartbeat.”
The April 15 performance will highlight UTSA’s growing commitment to preserving and celebrating South Texas’ Tejano music heritage while giving students practical performance experience alongside legendary artists.