The Corridos del San Joaquín Collection brings together the voices of ten contemporary corridistas whose songs explore the lived experiences of migration, labor, family, and belonging in California’s Central Valley. Each corrido is rooted in the tradition of narrative song and shaped by deeply personal histories. The Corridos de San Joaquin concert took place on December 8, 2024, at the Roosevelt High School Auditorium in Fresno, featuring 10 Corrido Contest finalists.
Corrido contest finalists include: Félix Arreola, Rodolfo Carranza, Salvador Mendoza, Nelly Paredes, Heriberto Jaime Pérez, Martín Rodríguez, Gregoria Sánchez, Adrián Sánchez Ávila, John B. Soto, and Salvador Urista Alvarado. These storytellers span generations, geographies, and professions. What unites them is a shared commitment to lifting up the stories that often go untold—through melody, memory, and powerful lyrics.
Their corridos speak of home and heartbreak, love and loss, resistance and resilience. Collectively, they offer a sonic portrait of a region where migration is history and heritage, and where the corrido remains a vital form of cultural expression. Explore each artist’s page to hear their song, read their story, and experience the enduring strength of the corrido tradition in the San Joaquín Valley.
Thumbnail: ACTA’s Corridos del San Joaquín concert poster (Credit: Design by Carla Zarate).
A chat between mariachis about the tradition, struggles, and the evolution of the music.
Listen to the ConversationTwo Chicanx songwriters discuss their connection to the visual, sonic, and political landscape of Boyle Heights.
Listen to the ConversationTwo traditional musicians share their love songs to Boyle Heights, singing of gentrification, cultural loss, and what remains.
Listen to the ConversationTwo generations of women songwriters Lysa Flores and La Marisoul unpack love, decolonization and sanctuary space in Boyle Heights.
Listen to the ConversationTwo versatile artists take us through the multiracial history of Boyle Heights from redlining to the Jewish Bakers Union to the incarceration of Japanese Americans.
Listen to the ConversationA chat between mariachis about the tradition, struggles, and the evolution of the music.
Listen to the ConversationTwo Chicanx songwriters discuss their connection to the visual, sonic, and political landscape of Boyle Heights.
Listen to the ConversationTwo traditional musicians share their love songs to Boyle Heights, singing of gentrification, cultural loss, and what remains.
Listen to the ConversationTwo generations of women songwriters Lysa Flores and La Marisoul unpack love, decolonization and sanctuary space in Boyle Heights.
Listen to the ConversationTwo versatile artists take us through the multiracial history of Boyle Heights from redlining to the Jewish Bakers Union to the incarceration of Japanese Americans.
Listen to the Conversation.jpg)
