Tejano Conjunto Festival

Tejano Conjunto Festival

Mid-May

Conjunto music originated in the late 19th century in southern Texas, where the mingling of Germanic and Mexican cultures produced a unique folk music. The German settlers introduced the accordian, to which the Mexicanos added the Spanish bajo sexto guitar for a new kind of music. "Tejano" refers to conjunto music as it is played in Texas, which differs from the "Norteño" conjunto played in northern Mexico.
The Tejano Conjunto Festival held for five days in mid-May every year in San Antonio, Texas, is the largest festival of its kind in the world. Since 1982 it has featured some of the best Tejano conjunto artists performing traditional, popular, and progressive conjunto music. The festival also includes an induction ceremony for the Conjunto Music Hall of Fame, a poster contest, art exhibits, a silent auction, and awards presentations held at San Antonio's Guadalupe Theater and Rosedale Park.

CONTACTS:
Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center
1300 Guadalupe St.
San Antonio, TX 78207
210-271-3151; fax: 210-271-3480
www.guadalupeculturalarts.org

SOURCES:
LatinoLife-1995, p. 35
WildPlanet-1995, p. 609