Associated Products
Corrido Concert E-Blast (Article)Title: Corrido Concert E-Blast
Author: Juhi Gupta
Abstract: This promotional e-blast was sent to ACTA’s mailing list with tailored targeting to audiences in the San Joaquín Valley. Promoting Corridos del San Joaquín, a free public concert celebrating the finalists of a regional corrido songwriting contest, the email uplifted the corrido as a vital narrative tradition rooted in the lived experiences of working-class and immigrant communities in the Valley. Co-presented by ACTA and Radio Bilingüe, the message spotlighted event details, cultural context, and featured performers, including local ensembles Las Damas del Valle and Familia Morales. With an open rate exceeding 50%, the e-blast proved highly effective in raising awareness, boosting attendance, and advancing ACTA’s public humanities goals of community engagement, cultural participation, and storytelling through traditional arts.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://mailchi.mp/actaonline/corrido-concert-eblastPrimary URL Description: A link to the archived e-blast on Mailchimp, our email marketing service.
Access Model: Subscription only
Format: Other
Periodical Title: The New Moon
Publisher: The Alliance for California Traditional Arts
Corridos del San Joaquín: A Night of Song, Story, and Community (Blog Post)Title: Corridos del San Joaquín: A Night of Song, Story, and Community
Author: Amy Kitchener and Leticia Soto Flores
Abstract: This original blog post published by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts documents Corridos del San Joaquín, a public concert and culminating event of a regional corrido songwriting contest co-organized with Radio Bilingüe. Held on December 8, 2024, at Roosevelt High School in Fresno, the event featured live performances by ten finalists—ranging from youth and fieldworkers to educators and retired laborers—who presented original songs exploring themes of migration, family, labor, and belonging. The blog offers rich narrative reflection, artist profiles, and direct quotes that contextualize the cultural and emotional impact of the evening. Framed as a celebration of living oral tradition, the post emphasizes the corrido’s role as a vessel for community memory and identity. It also previews the forthcoming Sounds of California: San Joaquín Valley microsite, where these stories and songs will be archived. This piece served as both documentation and amplification, reaching ACTA’s statewide audience and reinforcing the project’s public humanities goals.
Date: 12/16/2025
Primary URL:
https://actaonline.org/corridos-del-san-joaquin-a-night-of-song-story-and-community/Primary URL Description: Link to the blog post on the News section of ACTA’s website.
Blog Title: Corridos del San Joaquín: A Night of Song, Story, and Community
Website:
https://actaonline.org/Sounds of California - San Joaquín Valley Interview Database (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)Title: Sounds of California - San Joaquín Valley Interview Database
Author: Leticia Soto Flores
Abstract: The Sounds of California: San Joaquin Valley Interview Database is a comprehensive digital archive documenting 99 interviews conducted during 2024 at cultural events and gatherings across California’s Central Valley. Interviews took place in Arvin, Poplar, Madera, Porterville, Lamont, Bakersfield, Fresno, Atwater, Visalia, Delano, Earlimart, and Oxnard. Fieldwork captured musical traditions, oral histories, and community narratives during events such as Fiesta de San Juan, the Chilena Festival, the Reencuentro Purépecha, Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe celebrations, and performances featuring interviewed artists.
The archive reflects an expansive range of musical genres, including chilenas (traditional and pop forms), corridos, arpa grande, banda, mariachi (professional and student groups), indigenous rap in Mixteco and Purépecha, protest songs, pirekuas, estudiantina, marimba, conjunto norteño, son jarocho, trío romántico, Christian folk rock, Latin jazz fusion, sacred fiesta-day music, bilingual children's music, and Chicano folk rock. Participants represent a broad cross-section of cultural life: musicians, composers, singers, cultural organizers, restaurateurs, student performers, youth leaders, community elders, Radio Bilingüe collaborators, and indigenous tradition bearers from Mixtec, Purépecha, Afro-Mexican, and mestizo backgrounds.
Each interview is supported by detailed metadata identifying musical genre, participant role, event context, and media formats. Spanish-language translations, participant consent protocols, and accessibility features are integral to the archive’s ethical framework. Together, the materials offer an unprecedented portrait of the cultural resilience, migration histories, and expressive traditions of California’s rural immigrant communities.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pv4erls4oqmkjhox304f9/SOC-SJV-database-Interview-Log.xlsx?rlkey=eos01s3whlklt8fsrc5za1qwd&st=9bjcl2ag&dl=0Primary URL Description: A link to ACTA’s the Sounds of California San Joaquin Valley Interview Database
Access Model: Internal Only
Corridos del San Joaquín, live interview with Dr. Leticia Soto Flores and Xóchitl Morales of ACTA (Radio/Audio Broadcast or Recording)Title: Corridos del San Joaquín, live interview with Dr. Leticia Soto Flores and Xóchitl Morales of ACTA
Writer: Radio Bilingue
Director: Samuel Orozco, Director of News, Radio Bilingue
Producer: Samuel Orozco, Director of News, Radio Bilingue
Abstract: This Línea Abierta segment on Radio Bilingüe featured a special live interview with Dr. Leticia Soto Flores and Xóchitl Morales of ACTA, offering listeners a preview of the upcoming Corridos del San Joaquín concert and a powerful reflection on the role of corridos in the cultural life of California’s Central Valley. Aired nationally in Spanish across Radio Bilingüe’s network—reaching over half a million Latino listeners across the US—the segment emphasized how the tradition of the corrido continues to serve as a vital form of storytelling, protest, and community memory.
Dr. Leticia Soto Flores, an ethnomusicologist and ACTA’s Deputy Director, contextualized the history of the corrido as both a popular art form and a public archive of working-class experience. Xóchitl Morales, a mariachi musician, educator, and Bakersfield native, spoke from personal experience about how music and cultural practice have shaped her own identity and inspired the next generation. Their conversation amplified the lived perspectives of local artists and the broader humanities goals of the Sounds of California: San Joaquín Valley initiative—inviting listeners to see the December 8 concert as both a celebration and a continuation of living tradition.
Date: 12/3/24
Primary URL:
http://https://radiobilingue.org/es/news/corridos-del-san-joaquinPrimary URL Description: Link to the recording of the interview with Dr. Leticia Flores and Xochitl Morales.
Access Model: Open access; publicly broadcasted.
Format: Radio
Hugo Morales (Staff/Faculty/Fellow Position)Name: Hugo Morales
Abstract: Hugo Morales is a Mixtec Indian from the Mexican state of Oaxaca who, at the age of nine, immigrated to California with his family. He grew up picking grapes and attending public school in Sonoma County, CA, and then went on to graduate from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. In 1976, he was the galvanizing force behind a group of Latino farmworkers, artists, activists, and teachers that founded Radio Bilingüe in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Morales has led the organization ever since. His recognitions include the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the Lannan Foundation Cultural Freedom Prize the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Edward R. Murrow Award, as was named National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellow in 2020. In 2023, Morales received an honorary doctorate from Harvard University in recognition of his decades of work in amplifying the voices of Latinos on the nation's airwaves.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://radiobilingue.org/en/member/hugo-morales-directorPrimary URL Description: A link to Radio Biliingue’s website with a biography of Hugo Morales.
Corridos del San Joaquin Concert Cue to Cue (Script)Title: Corridos del San Joaquin Concert Cue to Cue
Writer: Amy Kitchener
Director: Amy Kitchener
Producer: Alliance for California Traditional Arts with Radio Bilingue
Abstract: This document outlines the detailed production schedule for our concert Corridos del San Joaquín, including cue-to-cue timing, task assignments, and stage management notes. It served as an internal script to coordinate performances, transitions, and logistical responsibilities across staff, artists, and technical crew. The script ensured the smooth execution of a multi-artist, community-centered concert.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/huhg41pfxdnfjgc0twwcg/Cue-by-cue-Schedule.docx?dl=0&rlkey=ov23mcdn1gm5nfhkgbvvemr7f&st=ikc5z3iyPrimary URL Description: Link to Dropbox holding the cue to cue document.
Sounds of California: Bayview Website (Web Resource)Title: Sounds of California: Bayview Website
Author: ACTA staff
Abstract: Sounds of California: Bayview is a multimedia digital archive that explores themes of migration, belonging, and home through the music and oral histories of Bayview–Hunters Point and nearby Bay Area communities. Produced by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts in 2018, the site features interviews with artist-activists, fieldwork documentation, a commissioned video essay about Bayview’s history, and live recordings from a culminating concert at the Bayview Opera House. Developed in collaboration with local organizations and residents, this resource highlights cultural resilience and creative expression in one of San Francisco’s most historically significant neighborhoods.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://soundsofca.actaonline.org/neighborhoods/bayviewPrimary URL Description: A public archive of materials gathered and produced between 2018 and 2024 related to the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco.
Corrido Concert New Moon (Article)Title: Corrido Concert New Moon
Author: Juhi Gupta
Abstract: This edition of ACTA’s monthly New Moon newsletter was distributed to over 6,000 subscribers, with curated content highlighting traditional artists and events across California. The November issue prominently featured the Corridos del San Joaquín songwriting contest and upcoming concert in Fresno, inviting readers to celebrate original corridos created by community members in California’s Central Valley. Framed as part of ACTA’s Sounds of California: San Joaquín Valley initiative, the article positioned the concert as a powerful expression of regional history and identity through living oral tradition. With strong open rates, the newsletter successfully advanced ACTA’s public humanities mission by connecting audiences to artist-led storytelling, intergenerational learning, and the continued vitality of Mexican musical traditions.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://mailchi.mp/actaonline/november-new-moonPrimary URL Description: A link to the archived newsletter on Mailchimp, our email marketing service.
Access Model: Subscription only
Format: Other
Periodical Title: The New Moon
Publisher: The Alliance for California Traditional Arts
Corrido Concert Press Release (Article)Title: Corrido Concert Press Release
Author: Jennifer Jameson Merchant
Abstract: This official press release, distributed widely by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA), announced Corridos del San Joaquín, a free public concert in Fresno spotlighting original corridos created by local storytellers. The release emphasized the corrido as a powerful living tradition rooted in Mexican oral history and reflective of working-class experiences in California’s Central Valley. Featuring performances by ten contest finalists alongside beloved regional ensembles Las Damas del Valle and Familia Morales, the release positioned the concert as a community celebration and a culminating event of ACTA and Radio Bilingüe’s Sounds of California: San Joaquín Valley initiative. The announcement highlighted the concert’s cultural and civic significance, quoting ACTA Executive Director Amy Kitchener on the corrido as “living history.” The press release played a key role in driving media interest, public attendance, and visibility for the broader humanities goals of the project.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CA91jygHos-nx8f4wxNhzER81ZCme67FjSC7TNlRIL0/edit?tab=t.0Primary URL Description: A link to the press release on Google Docs.
Access Model: Distributed by private email
Format: Other
Publisher: The Alliance for California Traditional Arts
Sounds of California: Listen to the stories of Bayview-Hunters Point (Blog Post)Title: Sounds of California: Listen to the stories of Bayview-Hunters Point
Author: Juhi Gupta
Abstract: This original blog post from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts announces the launch of the Sounds of California: Bayview microsite—a digital archive celebrating the layered cultural life of San Francisco’s Bayview–Hunters Point neighborhood. The post reflects on years of collaboration, trust-building, and community storytelling, and introduces three central components of the collection: a video essay on Bayview’s migration history, intimate interviews from a community recording day, and documentation of a landmark concert at the Bayview Opera House.
Through the voices of artists, elders, youth, and cultural workers, the blog emphasizes the neighborhood’s legacy of migration, resilience, and creativity. It also highlights the vital contributions of community connectors Tumani Onabiyi and Malik Seneferu, whose relationships and cultural knowledge shaped every part of the project. Framed as a living archive rooted in place and memory, the post invites audiences to listen deeply to the Bayview through the microsite—and to explore how sound and storytelling reflect identity, resistance, and belonging.
Date: 4/24/24
Primary URL:
https://actaonline.org/sounds-of-california-listen-to-the-stories-of-bayview-hunters-point/Primary URL Description: Link to the blog post on the News section of ACTA’s website.
Blog Title: Sounds of California: Listen to the stories of Bayview-Hunters Point
Website:
https://actaonline.org/Corrido Concert — Instagram Post (Blog Post)Title: Corrido Concert — Instagram Post
Author: The Alliance for California Traditional Arts
Abstract: This bilingual Instagram post invited followers to Corridos del San Joaquín, a live concert in Fresno celebrating the finalists of ACTA and Radio Bilingüe’s regional corrido songwriting contest. Sharing the upcoming evening of music, culture, and storytelling, the post highlighted the tradition of the corrido as a powerful vehicle for community memory and regional identity in California’s San Joaquín Valley. It spotlighted the participation of local contest finalists and acclaimed ensembles Las Damas del Valle and Mariachi Familia Morales. Shared with ACTA and Radio Bilingüe’s shared Instagram audience of over 6,000 followers, the post helped build excitement and visibility for the public event.
Date: 11/27/24
Primary URL:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DC460BPzU2C/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%253D%253Primary URL Description: Link to ACTA’s Instagram post highlighting the upcoming event.
Website: Instagram.com
Corrido Concert Finalists — Instagram Post (Blog Post)Title: Corrido Concert Finalists — Instagram Post
Author: Alliance for California Traditional Arts
Abstract: This Instagram carousel post introduced all ten finalists of the Corridos del San Joaquín songwriting contest, each accompanied by a brief audio snippet of their original corrido. The post offered audiences a preview of the powerful, community-rooted stories that would be performed live at the December 8 concert in Fresno. Finalists included artists from across the San Joaquín Valley—fieldworkers, truck drivers, students, and teachers—whose songs addressed migration, family, labor, identity, and cultural memory. By spotlighting each artist individually, this post deepened engagement with ACTA’s Sounds of California initiative, uplifted regional tradition bearers, and invited followers to experience the vibrancy and diversity of contemporary corrido-making. Shared days before the concert, it served as a key promotional tool for driving attendance and affirming the corrido as a living, evolving form of public storytelling.
Date: 12/5/24
Primary URL:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DDNQvebKplD/?img_index=1Primary URL Description: Link to ACTA’s Instagram post highlighting the contest finalists.
Website: Instagram.com
Corrido Concert Recap — Instagram Post (Blog Post)Title: Corrido Concert Recap — Instagram Post
Author: Alliance for California Traditional Arts
Abstract: This Instagram post recapped the Corridos del San Joaquín concert held on December 8 in Fresno and announced its upcoming radio broadcasts on Radio Bilingüe. Featuring event photography and highlighting contest winner Gregoria Sánchez of Watsonville, the post invited followers to tune in on December 25 and January 1 for a three-hour special featuring all finalist performances. The caption contextualized the event as a celebration of the San Joaquín Valley’s people and culture through the corrido tradition—narrative ballads rooted in Mexican oral history. As part of the Sounds of California: San Joaquín Valley initiative, the post extended the concert’s reach beyond the in-person audience, offering thousands of digital followers another opportunity to engage with this vibrant cultural program. The post reinforced ACTA’s mission to uplift community storytellers and increase access to traditional arts through multimedia and bilingual platforms.
Date: 12/22/24
Primary URL:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DD6CVDxsSaE/?img_index=1Primary URL Description: Link to ACTA’s Instagram post recapping the concert.
Website: Instagram.com
Sounds of California - San Joaquín Valley Scholarly Source List (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)Title: Sounds of California - San Joaquín Valley Scholarly Source List
Author: Leticia Soto Flores
Abstract: This curated database compiles scholarly sources that inform the research, programming, and public humanities framework of Sounds of California: San Joaquín Valley, with a focus on the corrido as a living cultural tradition. The spreadsheet includes academic articles, ethnographies, dissertations, and historical texts that examine the corrido’s origins, narrative structure, sociopolitical function, and cultural significance—particularly within Mexican and Mexican American communities in California and the broader U.S.-Mexico borderlands.
Organized by title, author, publication date, and thematic focus, the database serves as both a research tool and pedagogical reference for ACTA staff, community scholars, and project collaborators. Many sources also engage broader humanities themes—such as oral history, memory, resistance, migration, and identity. This resource supports historically grounded, community-informed programming and ensures that the Corridos del San Joaquín concert and related activities are contextualized within a rigorous and culturally rooted intellectual framework. In doing so, it reflects ACTA’s commitment to bridging academic scholarship and community knowledge in service of living traditions.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/u01trob5y3jhsa4iri2wv/SOC-SJV-database-Scholarly-Sources.xlsx?rlkey=7in5eh3l3jehnxuu12e56cp90&st=l5usnwyn&dl=0Primary URL Description: A link to ACTA’s SOC: San Joaquín Valley Scholarly Sources Database via Dropbox.
Access Model: Internal only, but repurposed for public website content.
Full recording of Corridos del San Joaquín, a public concert presented by ACTA and Radio Bilingüe on December 8, 2024 (Radio/Audio Broadcast or Recording)Title: Full recording of Corridos del San Joaquín, a public concert presented by ACTA and Radio Bilingüe on December 8, 2024
Writer: Radio Bilingue
Director: Samuel Orozco, Director of News, Radio Bilingue
Producer: Samuel Orozco, Director of News, Radio Bilingüe
Abstract: This broadcast featured the full recording of Corridos del San Joaquín, a public concert presented by ACTA and Radio Bilingüe on December 8, 2024, at Roosevelt High School in Fresno, California. The program showcased ten original corridos composed and performed by San Joaquín Valley community members—including students, farmworkers, educators, and retirees—alongside beloved regional ensembles Las Damas del Valle and Mariachi Familia Morales. Each song offered a powerful reflection on themes of migration, labor, family, and identity, bringing forward the lived stories of a region often overlooked in mainstream media.
Broadcast on Radio Bilingüe’s national Spanish-language network, which reaches over 500,000 Latino listeners across the U.S., the program greatly expanded the concert’s public reach. It allowed audiences across geographies and generations to engage with a culturally resonant and linguistically inclusive performance rooted in traditional arts and oral history. The concert broadcast amplifies community narratives, fosters intergenerational learning, and presents traditional music as a vital form of public storytelling. The recorded concert also serves as a lasting audio archive, accessible through Radio Bilingüe’s website, ensuring long-term public engagement and scholarly access to the voices and sounds of California’s San Joaquín Valley.
Date: 12/10/24
Primary URL:
https://radiobilingue.org/en/news/corridos-del-san-joaquin-3Primary URL Description: A full recording of the Corrido concert in english
Secondary URL:
https://radiobilingue.org/es/news/corridos-del-san-joaquin-3Secondary URL Description: A full recording of the Corrido Concert in spanish
Format: Radio
“Corridos del San Joaquín” (Programa repetido)/(Program Repeat) (Radio/Audio Broadcast or Recording)Title: “Corridos del San Joaquín” (Programa repetido)/(Program Repeat)
Writer: Radio Bilingue
Director: Samuel Orozco, Director of News, Radio Bilingue
Producer: Samuel Orozco, Director of News, Radio Bilingue
Abstract: The encore airing of Corridos del San Joaquín offered audiences a renewed opportunity to experience this community-centered concert during a season of cultural reflection and family gathering. By rebroadcasting the full three-hour program on Radio Bilingüe’s national network, ACTA and its media partner ensured continued access to the corrido performances—each rooted in lived experience and local history—well beyond the original December concert.
This second broadcast reinforced the enduring public value of the program and allowed additional audiences—including those who may have missed the first airing—to hear songs created by community tradition bearers whose perspectives are often underrepresented in public media. These encore airings helped fulfill the project’s broader humanities goals of cultural accessibility, regional storytelling, and preserving oral traditions. As part of the Sounds of California: San Joaquín Valley initiative, the rebroadcast continues to build momentum for long-term cultural documentation and archive-building, while strengthening ACTA and Radio Bilingüe’s shared mission to uplift community voices through public radio.
Date: 12/17/24
Primary URL:
https://radiobilingue.org/en/news/corridos-del-san-joaquin-programa-repetidoPrimary URL Description: A link to the Radio Bilingue website hosting the repeat program recording in English.
Secondary URL:
https://radiobilingue.org/es/news/corridos-del-san-joaquin-programa-repetidoSecondary URL Description: A link to the Radio Bilingue website hosting the repeat program recording in Spanish.
Access Model: Public access
Format: Radio
Samuel Orozco (Staff/Faculty/Fellow Position)Name: Samuel Orozco
Abstract: Samuel Orozco is the architect and director of Radio Bilingüe’s news and information programming, as well as founding executive producer of Noticiero Latino news service, Edición Semanaria and Línea Abierta. Samuel has interviewed Latino pioneers of the arts, politics and culture, as well as many unsung heroes. His historic live broadcasts for Latino audiences range from covering presidential conventions and racial healing dialogues, to public forums on immigration and environmental health, to special broadcasts of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. A firm believer in the importance of preserving the history of the Latino community, Samuel leads the Archivos de RB project and is the oral historian for two books: To the Promised Land and Organizing for Our Lives: New Voices from Rural Communities. Thousands of hours of Samuel’s productions are now housed in the Library of Congress’s Public Broadcasting Archives. In the early 1990s, Samuel launched Satélite Radio Bilingüe, overseeing the interconnection of bilingual public stations via satellite and distributing news and cultural programs in Spanish throughout the national public radio system.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://radiobilingue.org/en/member/jane-adamsPrimary URL Description: A link to Radio Biliingue’s website with a biography of Samuel Orozco.
Genaro Lozano (Staff/Faculty/Fellow Position)Name: Genaro Lozano
Abstract: Radio Bilingüe Folk Music Programmer and Corridos Producer
Year: 2024
Amy Kitchener (Staff/Faculty/Fellow Position)Name: Amy Kitchener
Abstract: Amy co-founded the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) in 1997. Understanding California’s unique position as the nation’s epicenter for diverse cultural and multi-national communities, ACTA’s work has focused on social change through grantmaking, capacity and leadership development, technical assistance, and bilingual program development. Trained as a public folklorist with an M.A. from UCLA, Amy has piloted participatory cultural asset mapping in neglected and rural areas of the state and consults with other organizations and across sectors on this method of discovery and inclusion of community voices. She continues to serve as a consultant for many national organizations and has taken part in two U.S.-China Intangible Cultural Heritage exchanges. She has published on a variety subjects involving California folklife, including immigrant arts training and transmission, and Asian American folk arts. She served on the board of the national Grantmakers in the Arts from 2014 – 2020, and in 2017 was appointed by the US Congress as a Trustee of the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress. By 2019, she was elected as Chair of the American Folklife Center
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://actaonline.org/staff/Primary URL Description: A link to ACTA’s staff page featuring Amy Kitchener’s biography.
Leticia Soto Flores (Staff/Faculty/Fellow Position)Name: Leticia Soto Flores
Abstract: Dr. Leticia Soto Flores is an ethnomusicologist, educator, and musician. She earned her B.A. in Economics (2001), gaining strong administrative skills in database design and financial reporting. A mariachi musician since 1991, she pursued an M.A. and Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology, with her dissertation, “How Musical is Woman?: Performing Gender in Mariachi Music.” She interned at Smithsonian Folkways and the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. In 2012, Leticia became the founding director of Mexico City’s Escuela de Mariachi Ollin Yoliztli en Garibaldi, Mexico’s first formal mariachi academy. There, she also co-hosted the radio program “Voces de la Escuela de Mariachi Ollin Yoliztli.”
Her ethnomusicological work stems from a deep respect for diverse cultural traditions and the transmission of musical heritage. Leticia has conducted ethnographic research in Mexico, Spain, Egypt, Israel, Croatia, Brazil, and Colombia and performed with UCLA’s Middle Eastern takht ensemble. As a mariachi musician, she has performed across Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Mexico, and directed the all-female ensemble "Mariachi Tradicional Femenil Flores de Mexico."
Leticia joined ACTA in 2022 as Development Manager, overseeing fundraising and fund tracking. In July 2024, she was promoted to ACTA’s first Deputy Director, assuming broader internal and external leadership responsibilities, including administration, HR, financial management, and development.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://actaonline.org/staff/Primary URL Description: A link to ACTA’s staff page featuring Leticia Soto Flores’s biography.
Xochitl Morales (Staff/Faculty/Fellow Position)Name: Xochitl Morales
Abstract: Xóchitl Morales is a multi-instrumentalist, educator, poet, and community organizer from California’s San Joaquín Valley, whose work bridges traditional music, cultural memory, and grassroots storytelling. Born in Porterville and raised in Delano, she comes from a family deeply rooted in mariachi and community development. Her parents, founders of a longstanding mariachi studio, have taught hundreds of students across the Central Valley.
Immersed in mariachi from a young age, Xóchitl studied violin, guitarrón, vihuela, guitar, and trumpet under her father’s guidance and Maestro Javier Rodríguez of Los Camperos. She performed nationally with her family’s ensemble, Mariachi Mestizo, while remaining deeply connected to her local community. Alongside her sisters, Xóchitl’s family is a cultural anchor in the region.
Xóchitl’s work merges traditional arts and social justice. She founded Sonidos Unidos, a youth program blending mariachi instruction with dialogue on migration, labor, and identity. A published poet and Harvard graduate, she gained national recognition for her spoken word piece on pesticide exposure and Latina identity. Her album Descansos combines mariachi, poetry, and political commentary.
As a core team member for Sounds of California: San Joaquín Valley, Xóchitl helped lead a regional corrido songwriting competition, arranging and performing original works while mentoring first-time composers. Her work uplifts local narratives, fosters intergenerational learning, and activates traditional music as a dynamic form of public storytelling.
Year: 2024
Emcee guide (Script)Title: Emcee guide
Writer: Amy Kitchener
Director: Amy Kitchener, Leticia Soto Flores
Producer: Alliance for California Traditional Arts with Radio Bilingue
Abstract: Developed in collaboration with Radio Bilingüe, this emcee guide provided a structured yet conversational script to support the flow of the Corridos del San Joaquín concert. It included key talking points, artist introductions, culturally grounded prompts for audience engagement, and time cues to keep the program on schedule. Designed to reflect the spirit and storytelling nature of the event, the guide helped ensure a welcoming and cohesive experience for both performers and attendees, while honoring the community-centered ethos of the concert.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3a1uynq0bix4wl38le257/Corrido-Concert-Emcee-Guide.docx?dl=0&rlkey=1crvq758fnu13ck4r6ed70f44Primary URL Description: Link to Dropbox for the Emcee guide
Sounds of California: San Joaquin Valley website (Web Resource)Title: Sounds of California: San Joaquin Valley website
Author: ACTA staff
Abstract: Sounds of California: San Joaquín Valley is a public-facing digital archive documenting the music, voices, and stories of California’s Central Valley. Created by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts in partnership with Radio Bilingüe, this 2024–2025 humanities initiative captures themes of migration, labor, identity, and cultural resilience through field recordings, oral histories, original compositions, and community concerts.
Drawing on Américo Paredes’s concept of Greater Mexico, the project traces the migration and evolution of musical traditions—from corridos and protest songs to contemporary regional styles—across generations of Valley residents. The archive includes interviews with tradition bearers, community-based fieldwork, and documentation of two major public concerts: Corridos del San Joaquín (December 8, 2024) and Canciones del San Joaquín (Spring 2025). These materials reflect the rich diversity of the Valley, home to Mexican, Central American, Southeast Asian, and African American communities shaped by histories of migration and agricultural labor. Amid economic uncertainty and climate impacts, the SOC-SJV archive preserves the region’s sonic landscape and affirms music as a powerful tool for storytelling, healing, and collective memory.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://soundsofca.actaonline.org/neighborhoods/san-joaquin-valleyPrimary URL Description: A public archive of materials gathered and produced in 2024 and 2025 related to the San Joaquin Valley in California.
Participe en el Concurso de corridos, parte del proyecto Sonidos de California. (Radio/Audio Broadcast or Recording)Title: Participe en el Concurso de corridos, parte del proyecto Sonidos de California.
Writer: Radio Bilingue
Director: Samuel Orozco, Director of News, Radio Bilingue
Producer: Samuel Orozco, Director of News, Radio Bilingüe
Abstract: The Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) and Radio Bilingüe have launched a call for entries for a corrido songwriting contest, part of the Sonidos de California project. This initiative invites composers and writing enthusiasts alike to express their artistic talents by creating corridos centered on the San Joaquin Valley. As a narrative and lyrical tradition, the corrido is celebrated for telling the stories of people and places. According to Leticia Soto, ACTA’s Deputy Director, participation is open to individuals of all ages, regardless of professional musical background. Themes are flexible, and submissions can be original or adaptations of existing works.
Corridos may be submitted in Spanish, English, or indigenous Mexican languages, and entries can be in various formats, including audio or video. Audio files must be in MP3 format, and recordings may range from simple phone captures to professionally edited pieces. Prizes include cash awards, broadcast opportunities on Radio Bilingüe, and public recognition at a celebratory concert in November, where a panel of prominent cultural leaders will evaluate the finalists. The submission deadline is October 7, and materials can be sent via the official Google Form, through actaonline.org/corrido, or by email to Corrido@actaonline.org. This contest aims to honor the cultural tradition of the corrido while encouraging personal and community storytelling across California.
Date: 9/11/24
Primary URL:
https://radiobilingue.org/es/news/participe-en-el-concurso-de-corridos-parte-del-proyecto-sonidos-de-california-2Primary URL Description: A link to the Radio Bilingue website where this program aired in Spanish.
Secondary URL:
https://radiobilingue.org/es/news/participe-en-el-concurso-de-corridos-parte-del-proyecto-sonidos-de-californiaSecondary URL Description: A link to the Radio Bilingue website where this program re-ran in Spanish.
Access Model: Public access
Format: Radio
Acompáñenos a la ceremonia de premiación del concurso de corridos (Radio/Audio Broadcast or Recording)Title: Acompáñenos a la ceremonia de premiación del concurso de corridos
Writer: Radio Bilingue
Director: Samuel Orozco, Director of News, Radio Bilingue
Producer: Samuel Orozco, Director of News, Radio Bilingüe
Abstract: The Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) and Radio Bilingüe organized the 2024 Corrido Contest to celebrate the enduring tradition of the corrido in California’s San Joaquin Valley. The corrido, rooted in 19th-century oral traditions and shaped by the historical context following the Mexico–United States War, serves as a narrative form similar to the blues in African American culture. Corridos often recount historical, political, and everyday experiences of working-class communities, structured with a greeting, prologue, story, moral, and farewell.
Since October, ACTA and Radio Bilingüe invited composers from the San Joaquin Valley to submit original corridos, focusing on themes relevant to the region. As part of the Sonidos de California – Valle de San Joaquín project, the contest supports efforts to record, archive, and present the sounds of migration. Winners will receive prizes ranging from $250 to $800 and have their works broadcast on Radio Bilingüe.
The awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, December 8, at the Roosevelt High School Auditorium in Fresno. Doors open at 2:00 p.m., and the event is free to the public. Performances by La Familia Morales and Las Damas del Valle will accompany the celebration of the finalists: 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. The community is invited to join in honoring these storytellers and preserving the vital tradition of the corrido.
Date: 12/4/24
Primary URL:
https://radiobilingue.org/es/news/acompanenos-a-la-ceremonia-de-premiacion-del-concurso-de-corridosPrimary URL Description: A link to the Radio Bilingue website where this program aired in Spanish.
Access Model: Public access
Format: Radio
Participe en el Concurso de corridos. (Radio/Audio Broadcast or Recording)Title: Participe en el Concurso de corridos.
Writer: Radio Bilingue
Director: Samuel Orozco, Director of News, Radio Bilingue
Producer: Samuel Orozco, Director of News, Radio Bilingüe
Abstract: The Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) and Radio Bilingüe have announced the Sonidos de California en el Valle de San Joaquín project, featuring a corrido songwriting contest. Individuals who write or perform corridos are encouraged to participate. The deadline for submissions is October 7. Corridos can be composed in Spanish, English, or indigenous languages from Mexico and must be submitted in audio or video formats. Audio files should be in MP3 format, with recording quality ranging from simple phone recordings to professionally edited files.
Leticia Soto, ACTA’s Deputy Director, emphasized that the contest is open to people of all ages. Participants are encouraged to explore diverse themes in their corridos. This is the first edition of the corrido contest, and entries will be evaluated by a panel of prominent cultural leaders. Finalists will be honored during a public concert in November and will have the opportunity to hear their compositions broadcast on Radio Bilingüe’s frequencies.
Participants can submit their entries through the official Google Form available at actaonline.org/corrido. Leticia Soto highlighted that winners will not only gain public recognition but also receive prizes. The project aims to celebrate and revive the tradition of the corrido by providing a platform for storytellers of all backgrounds to share their narratives through music.
Date: 9/19/24
Primary URL:
https://radiobilingue.org/es/news/participe-en-el-concurso-de-corridosPrimary URL Description: A link to the Radio Bilingue website where this program aired in Spanish.
Access Model: Public access
Format: Radio
Concurso de Corrido para promover la tradición (Radio/Audio Broadcast or Recording)Title: Concurso de Corrido para promover la tradición
Writer: Radio Bilingue
Director: Samuel Orozco, Director of News, Radio Bilingue
Producer: Samuel Orozco, Director of News, Radio Bilingüe
Abstract: The Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) and Radio Bilingüe launched the 2024 Corrido Contest to celebrate and promote the cultural tradition of the corrido in California’s San Joaquin Valley. As part of the Sonidos de California project, this initiative seeks to document, archive, and present the sounds of migration and local history through this storied musical form. Corridos, narrative ballads with deep roots in 19th-century Mexico and later California, often recount epic, political, historical, and working-class struggles.
The contest welcomed participants of all ages and skill levels, offering an open platform for both professionals and amateur musicians. Submitted corridos are currently under review by a distinguished panel of cultural leaders from California’s Central Valley, tasked with selecting the winning entries.
To culminate the project, ACTA and Radio Bilingüe will host a family celebration on Sunday, December 8, at Roosevelt High School Auditorium in Fresno. The event will feature local Mexican music artists, including Las Damas del Valle and La Familia Morales. During the concert, contest winners will be announced and recognized with awards. Additionally, winning compositions will be broadcast on Radio Bilingüe’s stations.
This effort not only honors the artistic tradition of the corrido but also reinforces community identity and storytelling through music, encouraging greater public engagement with California’s diverse cultural heritage.
Date: 11/29/24
Primary URL:
https://radiobilingue.org/es/news/concurso-de-corrido-para-promover-la-tradicionPrimary URL Description: A link to the Radio Bilingue website where this program aired in Spanish.
Access Model: Public access
Format: Radio
Lanzan concurso de composición de un Corrido, participe y gane (Article)Title: Lanzan concurso de composición de un Corrido, participe y gane
Author: Radio Bilingue
Abstract: Radio Bilingüe and the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) have launched a Corrido Composition Contest as part of a broader cultural celebration culminating in a festival. The event invites individuals of all ages and genders to participate, encouraging compositions in Spanish, English, or Indigenous Mexican languages. Participants are asked to create original works using the traditional corrido musical form, which holds deep historical significance in Mexican and Californian storytelling traditions.
The contest is designed to offer a memorable cultural experience, blending creativity with heritage. Winners will receive monetary prizes ranging from $250 to $800. The initiative emphasizes the importance of community engagement and cultural expression, providing a platform for participants to celebrate and preserve a vital narrative tradition.
The submission deadline for the contest is October 7, and the festivities surrounding the contest promise to deliver a vibrant showcase of musical talent and community spirit. This effort is part of a larger commitment by Radio Bilingüe and ACTA to foster and promote the diverse cultural practices that enrich California’s communities.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://radiobilingue.org/es/news/lanzan-concurso-de-composicion-de-un-corrido-participe-y-ganePrimary URL Description: A link to the promotion on Radio Bilingue’s website.
Access Model: Public access
Format: Other
Publisher: The Alliance for California Traditional Arts, Radio Bilingue
Corridos de San Joaquín una tradición oral en California: Concurso (Article)Title: Corridos de San Joaquín una tradición oral en California: Concurso
Author: Radio Bilingue
Abstract: The Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) and Radio Bilingüe organized the 2024 Corrido Contest to celebrate the oral tradition of the corrido in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Emerging in the 19th century, corridos became a vital narrative form after the Mexico–United States War, similar to the blues in African American culture. Corridos typically recount historical, political, or everyday events and follow a structure that includes a greeting, prologue, story, moral, and farewell.
As part of the Sonidos de California–Valle de San Joaquín project, the contest aims to document, archive, and share the sounds of migration and community history. Composers from the San Joaquin Valley were invited to submit original works for this initiative. Finalists for the 2024 contest include Felix Arreola, Rodolfo Carranza, Salvador Mendoza, Nelly Paredes, Heriberto Jaime Pérez, Martín Rodríguez, Gregoria Sánchez, Adrián Sánchez Ávila, John B. Soto, and Salvador Urista Alvarado.
A celebration honoring the finalists will take place on December 8, 2024, at Roosevelt High School Auditorium in Fresno. The event will feature performances by Las Damas del Valle and La Familia Morales. This contest highlights the vibrancy and resilience of oral traditions among California’s diverse communities, offering participants and audiences a space to connect through music and shared storytelling.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://radiobilingue.org/es/news/corridos-de-san-joaquin-una-tradicion-oral-en-ca-concursoPrimary URL Description: A link to the promotion on Radio Bilingüe’s website.
Access Model: Public access
Format: Other
Publisher: The Alliance for California Traditional Arts, Radio Bilingue
Genaro Lozano (Staff/Faculty/Fellow Position)Name: Genaro Lozano
Abstract: An immigrant from Oaxaca and a restaurant cook by trade, Genaro Lozano Vargas joined Radio Bilingüe as a volunteer programmer almost twenty years ago. During these years, he has been broadcasting a programming repertoire that includes Mexican folk music and public service information relevant to Mixtec-speaking audiences. For some years, he was a co-MC for the storied Viva el Mariachi! Festival of Radio Bilingüe. Lozano Vargas is also a prolific music composer of corrido and ranchera songs.
Year: 2024
Sounds of California - San Joaquín Valley Corrido Contest Participants (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)Title: Sounds of California - San Joaquín Valley Corrido Contest Participants
Author: Leticia Soto Flores and Xochitl Morales
Abstract: The SOC–San Joaquín Valley Internal Database is a comprehensive and evolving tool that documents the full scope of cultural programming activities related to ACTA’s grant-funded initiative in the region. Serving as a centralized information hub, the database tracks key milestones, events, and community engagement efforts that have taken place since the project’s launch. It includes detailed records of interviews with local residents, offering rich insight into the lived experiences, stories, and traditions of San Joaquín Valley communities—particularly emphasizing the significance of music in daily life.
Beyond ethnographic documentation, the spreadsheet plays a crucial role in logistical planning for the Corridos del San Joaquín concert held on December 8, 2024. It outlines planning timelines, venue coordination, artist lineups, and outreach strategies, as well as a dedicated section for tracking honorarium payments—ensuring that local artists and participants are equitably recognized and compensated for their contributions.
The database also serves as a reference tool, categorizing artists and musical genres specific to the Valley’s cultural landscape. It features a curated list of original corridos selected for performance, reflecting a powerful narrative thread rooted in regional identity. Additionally, it maps cultural organizations and artistic groups across the Valley, strengthening opportunities for future collaboration and cross-community connection.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pv4erls4oqmkjhox304f9/SOC-SJV-database-Interview-Log.xlsx?rlkey=eos01s3whlklt8fsrc5za1qwd&st=9bjcl2ag&dl=0Primary URL Description: A link to ACTA’s the Sounds of California San Joaquin Valley Interview Database
Access Model: Internal Only
Corridos de San Joaquin Concert program (Script)Title: Corridos de San Joaquin Concert program
Writer: Amy Kitchener
Director: Amy Kitchener
Producer: Alliance for California Traditional Arts with Radio Bilingue
Abstract: Corridos del San Joaquín is a vibrant community celebration that brings together tradition, storytelling, and music through the timeless art form of the corrido. The program begins with a welcome and presentation by Las Damas del Valle, followed by a dynamic lineup of corridistas—folk ballad singers—from diverse communities across California's San Joaquín Valley. These performers share original compositions that reflect personal and collective narratives, such as migration, identity, and love for their homeland. Highlights include Rodolfo Carranza's “Fracasos de un inmigrante,” John B. Soto’s “El Valle de San Joaquín,” and Gregoria Sánchez’s “Adiós ranchito,” each rooted in the experience of place and memory. A festive intermission features a grito contest and raffle, while guitarists Nelly Paredes and Salvador Urista Alvarado provide musical interludes. The program also includes presentations by ACTA and Radio Bilingüe, acknowledging cultural stewardship and media collaboration. The Morales family joins in to accompany the second group of performers, culminating in a grand finale performance and closing remarks. This event honors the rich oral traditions of the Central Valley’s Mexican American communities while fostering intergenerational cultural expression
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/dfmi4s27ajyenp5zzevcp/Program-Corrido-Concert.pdf?rlkey=hesp8vithtzy3d999v7k1drm5&dl=0Primary URL Description: Link to Dropbox holding the Corridos de San Joaquin Concert program
ACTA Corrido Concert webpage (Web Resource)Title: ACTA Corrido Concert webpage
Author: ACTA Staff
Abstract: This public-facing landing page provides key information about Corridos del San Joaquín, a free community concert held on December 8, 2024, in Fresno, California, as part of the Sounds of California: San Joaquín Valley initiative. Produced by ACTA in partnership with Radio Bilingüe, the webpage highlights the goals and cultural context of the event, which centered around a regional corrido songwriting contest that invited community members to share their lived experiences through original compositions.
The site lists featured performers—including ten corrido finalists and local ensembles Las Damas del Valle and Familia Morales—and offers logistical details, program background, and partner acknowledgments. Designed as a public outreach tool, the page supports community engagement while honoring the Central Valley’s deep musical and migratory histories.
Year: 2024
Primary URL:
https://actaonline.org/corrido/Primary URL Description: A link to a public landing page on ACTA’s website.