Riverside Mariachi Earns National Top Ranking

Riverside Arts Academy’s Mariachi Campana finished third at the Tucson International Mariachi Conference, according to a May 22 report by the Raincross Gazette. The result made the student ensemble the highest-ranking California group at this year’s event, the publication said. The conference ran from April 29 to May 3 at the Tucson Convention Center in Arizona, according to event listings and the conference website. Mariachi Campana is the academy’s flagship advanced mariachi ensemble for students in grades 6 through 12, Riverside Arts Academy says. ### How significant was the finish in Tucson? A third-place finish at the Tucson International Mariachi Conference put a Riverside student group near the top of one of the country’s best-known mariachi gatherings. The conference describes itself as a national event built around workshops, performances and youth cultural education, and Visit Tucson says the 2026 edition brought hundreds of students and performers downtown from April 29 through May 3. The Raincross Gazette reported that Mariachi Campana returned home with the distinction of being the top California ensemble at the competition. That matters in practical terms because the event draws youth groups from across the Southwest and beyond, making the result a direct comparison against peer programs on a national stage. ### Who are the students in Mariachi Campana? Mariachi Campana de Riverside is Riverside Arts Academy’s top mariachi ensemble, according to the academy’s program page. The group is open by audition to advanced musicians in grades 6 through 12 who have at least two years of mariachi experience, the academy says. Riverside Arts Academy says the ensemble rehearses during the week and on Saturdays and performs publicly across the Inland Empire. The program page describes the group as made up of some of the academy’s most accomplished young musicians, while a separate registration page says the ensemble was newly rebranded as Mariachi Campana de Riverside for the 2025-26 program year. ### How did the group get to the national competition? A fundraising page created to send Mariachi Campana to Tucson set a goal of $17,500. The page said donations would help cover travel, lodging, meals and participation costs so students could “represent Riverside on a national stage” at the 2026 conference. The Raincross Gazette said the ensemble competed with support from local donors and grassroots fundraising. That fits a pattern for the program: in a 2025 report on Riverside Arts Academy students appearing at national festivals, the Gazette said community donations also covered travel costs for Mariachi Campana’s earlier national appearances. ### Why does this stand out in Riverside? Riverside Arts Academy has presented the result as evidence of the reach of its youth music training. The academy’s mariachi program already sends students to public performances around the region, and national competition results give the school a measurable benchmark beyond local concerts and recitals. Alex Treviño II, the academy’s head of mariachi programs, said in a 2025 Raincross Gazette report that “the love for mariachi music is spreading beautifully here in Riverside, and our students are leading the way.” That comment was made before this year’s Tucson result, but it described the academy’s view that community support and student participation were expanding together. ### What is the Tucson conference itself? The Tucson International Mariachi Conference says its mission is to promote traditional mariachi music and folklórico through educational activities that build artistic experience, cultural identity and pride among youth and the broader community. Event listings describe it as one of the nation’s premier mariachi training and performance gatherings. Tucson-area coverage of the 2026 conference said the program included student showcase events, concerts and competitions. That structure helps explain why a placement there carries weight for school-age ensembles: the conference is both a training site and a judged performance stage. ### What comes next for Riverside Arts Academy’s ensemble? Riverside Arts Academy’s program page says Mariachi Campana continues as an audition-based ensemble for the 2025-26 cycle. The academy lists the next audition date as January 10, 2026, for advanced students in grades 6 through 12 with prior mariachi experience. The academy’s site also directs newer players to its intermediate group, Mariachi Juvenil de Riverside. For Mariachi Campana, the next measurable milestone after Tucson will be whether the ensemble returns to national competition with another donor-backed trip and a new roster of student musicians.