The Big Squeeze, Little Joe Coming To Edinburg Music Festival April 15
Edinburg, TX, April 4, 2023
The Museum of South Texas History and Texas Folklife are excited to partner with the City of Edinburg to present the annual Edinburg Music Festival on April 15th, 2023. This year’s festival will take place at the Edinburg Promenade Park Amphitheater located at 201 W. McIntyre and promises to be a fantastic day filled with music, dance, food, and fun for the whole family.
The Edinburg Music Festival will feature various local bands, carnival rides, folkloric and dance performances, food trucks, crafts, children’s activities, an animal petting zoo/exhibits, and more. This year, Texas Folklife will host the annual Big Squeeze, an accordion semi finals competition, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., followed by the Edinburg Music Festival concert from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public but V.I.P. tables are available for purchase at edinburgarts.com/viptables.
Texas Folklife is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the diverse cultural heritage of Texas through various programs and initiatives. One of their flagship programs is The Big Squeeze, an annual statewide accordion contest for young musicians.
The Big Squeeze program aims to support and showcase the next generation of accordion players and promote the cultural heritage of Texas through the accordion, which has played a significant role in shaping Texas music history.
The Museum of South Texas History hosted Texas Folklife’s Big Squeeze Conjunto Semi-Final competition in 2019, which welcomed a crowd of accordion enthusiasts and supporters from the community.
“The staff at Texas Folklife received so many conjunto competitors from South Texas that they decided to open the semi-finals in the region,” said Community Engagement Officer René Ballesteros. “The Museum of South Texas History was a great partner to host because conjunto is unique to our region, and the museum’s mission is to preserve and present the heritage of South Texas and northeastern Mexico.”
The Big Squeeze competition was virtual in 2020 and 2021, and Texas Folklife resumed the semi-finals at the museum in 2022. In hopes of growing attendance, MOSTHistory, City of Edinburg and Texas Folklife began planning a larger event for 2023, the Edinburg Music Festival. The Museum of South Texas History welcomes the new partnership with Texas Folklife and the City of Edinburg. The festival starts off with the Big Squeeze Semi-Finals, the Big Squeeze is a statewide competition for youth accordion players that showcases their performance abilities in various Texas genres, including Polka, Conjunto, Tejano, Zydeco, Cajun and more. Each year up and coming young musicians compete for this prestigious award.
Following the competition, the concert lineup for the Edinburg Music Festival will include Frutty Villareal y Los Mavericks with their “Homenaje a Las Leyendas”, Jerry Alvarez & Danielle Ramirez, Grupo Solido, and headliner, Little Joe y la Familia. The festival is a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Texas and the RGV.
Little Joe y la Familia was founded in the early 1960s in Temple, Texas, and has become one of the most influential groups in Tejano music. Little Joe has released over 50 albums and has been recognized with numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including the prestigious National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He is known for his unique blend of traditional Mexican music with country, rock, and jazz influences, and his music has been instrumental in promoting Chicano culture and heritage.
In addition to his music career, Little Joe is also a philanthropist and activist, working to improve the lives of disadvantaged communities in Texas and beyond. He has been recognized for his contributions to the community with honors such as the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and the Cesar Chavez Legacy Award from the National Council of La Raza. Little Joe is a 2023 recipient of the prestigious National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Museum of South Texas History and Texas Folklife to bring the Edinburg Music Festival to the community,” said Letty Leija, Director of Library & Cultural Arts. “This year’s festival promises to be bigger and better than ever, and we can’t wait to see everyone there.”
Vendors interested in participating in the Edinburg Music Festival can apply at edinburgarts.com/vendors. We welcome various vendors selling art, crafts, food, and other items. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase their business and connect with the community.
For more information about the Edinburg Music Festival, please visit edinburgarts.com or contact the Cultural Arts Division at 956-383-6246 or [email protected].