High School to Stage Youth Mariachi Contest

SAN FERNANDO — Hoping to increase the popularity of mariachi music among young people, San Fernando High School will play host to the free Festival Juvenil del Mariachi competition at 2 p.m. Sunday in the auditorium.

The competition, for youths 18 and younger, is open to mariachi bands affiliated with schools, churches, music schools, nonprofit groups and other community organizations. It is the third of four preliminary competitions. The final contest will be Aug. 29 at Benjamin Franklin High School in Los Angeles.

Finalists will perform at a junior mariachi showcase concert at Disneyland during Hispanic Culture Month in October.

The competition is sponsored by the McDonald's Operators' Assn. of Southern California.

Mariachi players who live in the five-county area can participate in the competition. Entry forms may be obtained by calling Laura Sobrino at (323) 727-0783 or at the event.