Puerto Peñasco, Sonora. Monday, February 22, 2016. On Saturday, February 20th, the State Voice and Guitar Contest was held in Puerto Peñasco at the Municipal Auditorium “CP Gerardo Portugal Martínez”. The goal of the contest was to promote the professional artistic development of youth via the Sonoran Cultural Institute with support from the National Council on Culture and the Arts, the Youth Cultural Development Program, and the City of Puerto Peñasco. This was the first time the contest was held outside the capital, and a first for our municipality.
More than 30 aspiring artists between 15-25 years old registered for the event, with 18 participants making it through the first filter: Alexia Ortega Ramírez, Moisés Ulloa López, Yulissa García Sarabia, Vanessa Guadalupe Salazar Valdez, Naomi Giselle Infante Millán, Ivette Paulina Salazar Valdez, José Carlos Meza Rivera, Ivonne Paola Salazar Valdez, Denisse Barrios Gandarilla, Mitzy Jaqueline Palazuelos Alcaraz, Noemi Esqueda González, Vania Arvizu García, Zuleyma Guadalupe Vivas Estrada, Leslie Amairani Urquidi Peinado, Keila Neiel Soto Valle, José de Jesús Romo Flores, Ariel Humberto Reina Limón, and Yovanni Alberto Sánchez López.
The judging panel, made up of professional musicians Ramón Antonio Ximenez Pérez, Julio Cristóbal Velázquez Lozano and Ignacio Ortega Aguilar, further selected participants who moved beyond the second phase of the competition: Yulissa García Sarabia, Vanessa Guadalupe Salazar Valdez, José Carlos Meza Rivera, Mitzy Jaqueline Palazuelos Alcaraz, Vania Arvizu García and Ivonne Paola Salazar Valdez.
Finally, with various city officials on hand, prizes were given out to the top three spots: a first prize of $8000 pesos was awarded to Mitzy Jaqueline Palazuelos Alcaraz; $5000 pesos for second place to Vania Arvizu García; and $3000 pesos to José Carlos Meza Rivera for third place. In addition, honorary recognition was given to Yulisa García Sarabia, Vanessa Guadalupe and Ivonne Paola Salazar Valdez, who were invited to participate in April 6th Fiestas on the main stage.