Sounds of California: San Joaquin Valley (2024-2025) captures themes of migration, labor, identity, and cultural resilience through the music and voices of communities across California’s Central Valley.  

Developed by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts in partnership with Radio Bilingüe, this public humanities initiative documents how sound—whether in the form of a corrido, indigenous rap, or protest song—expresses the collective experience of place and belonging.

Borrowing from folklorist Américo Paredes’s concept of Greater Mexico, Sounds of California: San Joaquin Valley gathers oral histories that shed light on the Music of Greater Mexico, tracing how musical traditions have migrated, evolved, and flourished in the Central Valley. The project includes field recordings at local festivals and community events, in-depth interviews with tradition bearers and cultural leaders, and the creation of original songs through both a corrido songwriting contest and commissioned works rooted in regional styles. These efforts culminated in two major public concerts—Corridos del San Joaquín, held at Roosevelt High School on December 8, 2024, and Canciones del San Joaquín, hosted at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Fresno—each celebrating the enduring power of music as a vessel for memory, identity, and community.

The San Joaquin Valley is one of the most agriculturally productive regions in the world—and one of the most culturally rich. It is home to generations of migrants and immigrants, including communities from Mexico, Central America, Southeast Asia, and the American South. This diversity is reflected not only in the Valley’s food and language but in its music, family traditions, and community rituals. For many, the Valley represents both the hope of opportunity and the reality of hard labor—stories that have often gone unheard outside the region.

In 2024–2025, while Sounds of California centered on the Central Valley, the region was experiencing economic recovery amidst growing disparities. Agricultural work remained a backbone of the local economy, even as the effects of climate shifts and economic uncertainty deepened the challenges faced by rural workers and immigrant families. Our San Joaquin Valley project amplifies these stories not only to celebrate cultural expression but to ensure they are recorded, respected, and heard—preserving the sonic landscape of California’s heartland for future generations.