BROWNSVILLE, TX –JANUARY 31, 2012–A second performance of the legendary Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán – widely hailed as “El Mejor Mariachi del Mundo” – has been added to the Signature Series at The Arts Center at The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College.

Mariachi Vargas is scheduled for two performances at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26. Tickets for the two concerts may be purchased online at utb.edu/artscenter or by calling 956-UTB-TKTS, 956-882-8587.

“This quickly became two concerts in answer to enthusiastic public demands,” said Dr. Dan Barnard, Director of The Arts Center. “We are thrilled to help bring the most famous and popular mariachi group in the world to Brownsville for the 75th anniversary of Charro Days.”

Opening for Mariachi Vargas will be the first place winners of the elementary, middle school and high school categories of San Antonio’s 17th Annual Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza mariachi group competitions, which took place in December.

The audience will also have an opportunity to see phenomenal performances from two student mariachi groups from Rio Grande City, Mariachi Juvenil de America from Veterans Middle School and Mariachi Cascabel from Rio Grande City High School. Each won first place in their respective categories for the second consecutive year.

Created in 1897 by Don Gaspar Vargas in the Mexican village of Tecalitlán, Mariachi Vargas has maintained and enhanced the musical traditions of this classic genre through five generations, while growing its popularity far and wide.

Since 1937, Mariachi Vargas has been featured in over 200 movies, including several with famed Mexican film star and singer Pedro Infante. The group has produced over 200 recordings of the Huastecos sones, waltzes, popurris, polkas, huapango and cumbias that all contribute to Mexico’s most distinctive sound. Mariachi Vargas members create their music with a combination of violins, trumpets, harps, a guitarrón, guitar and vihuela.

The group appeared with Linda Ronstadt at the Tucson International Mariachi Conference in 1986, where she made her Spanish-language singing public debut. The next year, she released her Grammy award-winning album “Canciones de mi Padre,” or “Songs of My Father,” also featuring Mariachi Vargas. Her national tour with the group helped attract new audiences and contributed to a resurgence of interest in mariachi across the continent.

“We are excited to bring Mariachi Vargas to Brownsville and we invite the public to join us as we celebrate this milestone in Charro Days history,” said Ken Lieck, President of the Charro Days Association. “A performance by this renowned group is in keeping with Charro Days’ long history of bringing headline performers to Brownsville.”

The Charro Days festivities take place February 19-26. The annual weeklong festival includes parades, dances festivals and celebrates the culture and friendship of the cities of Brownsville and Matamoros, Mexico.

The Signature Series is celebrating its second season at The Arts Center. After a successful inaugural run, this year’s series promises both diversity and the same dedication to excellence that patrons have come to expect.