Teen Musicians Surprise Southwest Passengers With In-Flight Mariachi Performance

Southwest passengers on Tuesday's Flight 337 from Chicago (MDW) to Albuquerque (ABQ) enjoyed a musical surprise at 35,000 feet when teen musicians from the Chicago Mariachi Project performed an impromptu concert on board.

The mariachi band members, who range in age from 13 to 18 years, were en-route to New Mexico to attend the annual Mariachi Spectacular de Albuquerque, an international conference celebrating the cultural art of mariachi. "The students are here to learn from the mariachi masters," said Álvaro R. Obregón, the president of the Chicago Mariachi Project, who founded the group in 2013. "We're a small non-profit, and we're so proud of our students who last year won First Place at this national competition. Our students work so hard."

At the conclusion of the in-flight concert, Southwest passengers enthusiastically applauded the Chicago Mariachi Project musicians and wished them well for their upcoming competition. The students, some of whom come from as far away as Indiana and a town near the Illinois-Wisconsin border, will be learning from and performing with mariachi musicians from around the world.