“Holiday Concert” with UTRGV Mariachi Juveníl and the Ballet Folklórico

We joined our friends Jan and Steve, Jean, and Hal and Dorothy for an unusual and delightful holiday concert at the UTRGV Performing Arts Complex. this afternoon.

The concert featured music from around Mexico and included sections based on the traditional Las Posadas, the music of Jalisco, favorites like La Bamba in Mariachi style, and contemporary Christmas songs like Feliz Navidad (I Want to Wish You a Merry Christmas).

The students showed impressive talent, dedication, and showmanship. The musicians used no sheet music--they had the entire program memorized. Read more!

Tripping to Brownsville (via Harlingen)

Some of our friends have memberships in the Patron of the Arts program at UTRGV (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley). The two main campuses are in Brownsville and Edinburg, and the arts programs are held in both locations. Hardy and Judy were off on a Panama Canal cruise, so we were able to use their tickets for some of the performances while they were gone.

Today we attended Handel's Messiah at the TSC Arts Center in Brownsville along with Jan and Steve, Hal and Dorothy, Dick and Mary Ann, and Jean. (TSC=Texas Southmost College).

Our first stop was Stefano's Brooklyn Pizza in Harlingen. From our table we could watch the cooks expertly spinning large circles of dough. Besides pizza, they also serve a variety of Italian dishes.

After lunch we had some extra time and planned to view some of Harlingen's famous murals, but we got to see only a few because streets were closed for the city Christmas parade.

The performance hall was gorgeous, and we really enjoyed the program.

Read more!