Erika Soveranes obtained a double bachelors in Flute Performance and Spanish from the University of New Mexico and a Master’s degree in Ethnomusicology from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Soveranes presented her thesis work entitled “Female Mariachi’s in the Southwest: Transcending the Acclaim of Masculine Aspects of Female Musicality” at both the Society of Ethnomusicology - Southern Plains Chapter conference in 2017 and the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Society of Ethnomusicology in 2018. She is currently a PhD student in Ethnomusicology and the director of UNT’s Mariachi Águilas. Through mariachi, Soveranes has performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the 2012 London Olympics, the Plaza Real in Madrid, Spain, and the world renowned Santa Fe Opera House. She currently performs with all-female ensemble, Mariachi Margaritas, who tour annually with Grammy nominated Ángela Aguilar and who recently accompanied the Aguilar family for the Canelo Alvarez boxing match in front of a sold out AT&T Stadium. Soveranes has accompanied many Mexican artists including Pepe Aguilar, Ana Barbara, Pedro Fernandez, Pablo Montero, and Aída Cuevas, and performed alongside prestigious mariachi groups such as Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlán, Mariachi Sol de Mexico and Mariachi Los Camperos. As an educator, Soveranes established several student mariachi programs in Brownsville, TX including a successful program at Lopez Early College High School and a community mariachi and strings program under the Revival of Cultural Arts initiative at the Brownsville Performing Arts Academy. She also presented Mariachi for the Midwest: Fundamentals for Starting Your Own Mariachi Program at the Midwest Clinic International and Orchestra Conference in December of 2020. Soveranes continues to perform in Mariachi Margaritas, as well as several mariachi groups across the DFW area, and continues to advocate for mariachi education across Texas.