Conjunto music lovers will have the chance to dance to conjunto music for free Sunday at the 11th annual Conjunto Music celebration.
The Freddie Gomez Memorial Conjunto Concert starts at 7 p.m. at The Broken Sprocket, located at 6305 Paredes Line Road. The annual Conjunto celebration was initially created in 2011 to revitalize the Brownsville Historic Downtown District.
This year, the STCA will pay tribute to the Rio Grande Valley Conjunto Music Legend, Gilberto Perez Sr., from Mercedes, Texas who died last year on Feb. 5, 2021. Sons, Gilberto Jr. and Javier Perez have assembled a new group of musicians to continue their father’s traditional genre legacy and introduce new and inspiring Conjunto music. New members of the Gilberto Perez Jr. y Su Conjunto include accordionist, Cande Aguilar Jr., Epi Martinez on Bajo guitar and versatile musician/vocalist Derek Perales.
The annual memorial program will include a special presentation of Legacy “In Memoriam” Trophies to former Gilberto Perez Sr. band members, Sons, Gilberto Jr. and Javier, Alfredo Saenz (posthumously) Cande Aguilar Sr., Rene Luna Sr., Juan Antonio Tapia and life-long collaborator and fellow STCA founder and President, Lupe Saenz.
Additionally, the STCA will bid a warm Welcome Home to Los Centellas de Houston and Antonio “Tony” Vasquez, who was born in Brownsville, Texas, in 1939. Vasquez learned how to play accordion by practicing with his brother’s 2-row accordion. At the age of 83, Vasquez still enjoys playing music.
