Un grito! Mariachi Pumas makes its UH debut
Mariachi Pumas Dedication Concert
It’s late October, and much of Houston is transfixed on the first World Series game. The Astros have even infiltrated the Moores School of Music. Inside a cavernous rehearsal space, several students are wearing Astros caps. One girl watches the game on her phone.
But there isn’t much time for a watch party. It’s one of the first rehearsals for Mariachi Pumas, the new student ensemble at the University of Houston, announced in September. The group is part of the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts, already home to the Concert Chorale, Jazz Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra.
Mariachi Pumas — the Spanish word for cougar — is led by Jose Longoria, a musician with years of experience teaching mariachi and developing programs within the Houston Independent School District. He has taught students for almost two decades at Sam Houston middle and high schools.
When Longoria arrives, he walks around and greets every performer. He’s also in an Astros ALCS shirt.
The students are arranged in a tight circle of black chairs. The pace feels leisurely, and they frequently chatter among themselves. But they’re here for a serious purpose. Mariachi Pumas has its first recital Thursday, and the free event has already reached capacity.
“It’s gonna be big, guys,” Longoria tells the group. “When I say ‘big,’ I mean there are gonna be some important people there.”
Mariachi Pumas includes an advanced competitive group and a noncompetitive group for beginners. The competitive group is also preparing for December’s renowned Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza in San Antonio. Several of the advanced Pumas spots were quickly filled by Longoria’s former students.
“They do have the experience,” Longoria says. “We know how we work together. The goals are the same. The ideas are the same.
But anybody else can also join.”
Others were brought in through open auditions, including a pair who shows up for the first time at the late-October rehearsal. Longoria leads the entire group through several songs, including “Hermoso Cariño,” “Alegria” and a Selena medley that’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
Longoria has them perform each song twice, once as rehearsal and a second time to record on their phones to take home and practice. Even here, it’s a wondrous sound. The strings are like butter. The horns are as smooth as satin.
Longoria makes small changes to each song as they play.
“Go a little bit more staccato,” he says. “Y mas
Cultural mainstay
Mariachi music is deeply embedded in Mexican culture — and by extension, in the hearts of many Houstonians. It originated in Mexico and is used today to celebrate weddings, quinceañeras and even soundtracks funerals.
Contemporary acts, from Mariachi el Bronx and Metalachi to Christian Nodal and Pipe Bueno, incorporate it into their sound.
You can hear live mariachi music almost nightly at restaurants around town. And the annual mariachi competition is a RodeoHouston highlight.
“It’s part of my culture. I have a lot of family that are part of mariachis,” says Stephanie Bulos, 18, a UH
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday Where: Bert F. Winston Band Complex, 3780 Cullen (University of Houston) Admission: Sold out
freshman majoring in teaching and writing who is part of Mariachi Pumas. She studied for eight years under Longoria, is a singer and plays violin.
“I was very excited especially to hear that Mr. Longoria is the instructor because I started with him in middle school. He’s taught me a lot about the mariachi world.”
Aside from his school jobs, Longoria is director of Mariachi Imperial de America, an acclaimed outfit with an impressive résumé. It’s won countless awards, including the rodeo competition, toured the world and performed at the televised “Selena Vive” tribute concert.
UH originally reached out to Longoria for ideas on creating a school mariachi program.
“They wanted to pick my brain and see what thoughts I could give them,” he says. “I did tell them, ‘Don’t forget about me because I wanna be part of it.’ And they didn’t. It means a lot.”
He won out over other candidates after a rigorous interview and rehearsal process. Along with final approval from the big boss.
“If my wife said ‘No,’ I wouldn’t have done it,” Longoria says. “But she’s very supportive.”
Like playing on the football team
Osiel Fernandez, 26, a graduate student in the college of education, has never worked with Longoria. He studied mariachi at the High School for the Performing and Visual
Arts, a “rival” to Sam Houston’s program. But Longoria’s placement was a selling point.
“I always wanted a teacher like him,” Fernandez says. “When I found out that the opportunity was here, I jumped at it. It just connects me closer to my Mexican culture. My grandfather was a mariachi trumpet player. I just wanted to be like him. That’s how my dream started.”
The only remaining obstacle is uniforms, which have to be approved by the school. As of now, they’re still being constructed. Longoria expects to have them ready in time for Thursday’s performance.
Rehearsals will continue until the big debut. And though the Astros came up short, Mariachi Pumas seems destined for many wins.
“Opening up the college is gonna be huge because now we can motivate our kids to come to college and do mariachi. Academics is always first. But mariachi, it just makes it more exciting,” Longoria says. “It’s like anybody that wants to play football or basketball. You want to be part of that team. That’s what we want.”