UT San Antonio ensemble to back music legends at Tejano concert

The Tejano Ensemble class at UT-San Antonio is a quick study: Register, practice, perform. 

Classes began in February. The first concert is April 15 at the Empire Theater. 

The assignment: Back up seven legendary artists at Sonidos de San Antonio, a celebration of Tejano and Conjunto music to benefit student scholarships at UT-San Antonio.

The performers are Tejano icons Shelly Lares, Little Joe, Ruben Ramos, Santiago Jimenez, Jr., Ram Herrera , Patsy Torres and Sunny Sauceda.  

“The artists are not bringing their bands,” said Shelly Lares, ensemble co-director and UT-San Antonio Artist in Residence. “The ensemble is backing up all these artists. And let me tell you: They’re great musicians.”

Sonido Tejano, the UT-San Antonio ensemble, is composed of 14 students: three saxophonists, three keyboard players, two trumpeters, two percussionists, one drummer, one trombonist, one bass player and one who plays accordion, bajo sexto and guitar.

“Four of them sing,” Lares said.

Mariachi Los Paisanos, another UT-San Antonio ensemble, will open the two-hour concert, which begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $50 for general admission and $100 for VIP Meet and Greet. Proceeds support the inaugural scholarship for Sonido Tejano. 

Presented by UT San Antonio, Shellshock Records 3 and JMT Studios, the concert features artists who have shaped the sound of South Texas. 

Sauceda, a Grammy-winning accordionist, is excited to return to his home, where he began performing at age 5 for $5 a night. At 18, he performed with Eddie G and Grupo Vida on the Tejano circuit. 

At Harlandale High School, he was pulled out of a welding class and told that the Queen of Tejano, Selena Quintanilla-Perez, had been slain.

“That was a devastating moment in Tejano music,” he said.

Sauceda met Lares in 1996 at a show in Corpus Christi. The accordionist in Lares’ band asked to borrow Sauceda’s instrument. A friendship formed. In 2002, Lares performed at Sauceda’s wedding.

“I have a deep history with Shelly,” Sauceda said. “She was a mentor to me when I was a young artist and started in Tejano. I love her dearly and I’m so proud of what she’s doing.

“It’s going to be exciting to be performing with peers who are Tejano legends. And it’s exciting to see we have collegiate representation in San Antonio. I’m happy to support UTSA and Shelly.”

Lares works with Sonido Tejano every Monday night, from 5:30 until 8 p.m. She teaches the instrumentation and stylistics of the genre. 

“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.”