Dr. Dahlia Guerra
Founder and CEO of the South Texas Music & Cultural Arts Foundation
Dr. Dahlia Guerra served as Assistant Vice-President of Public Art and Special Assistant to the Dean of Fine Arts at the University of Texas Grande Valley since 2016. She was Chair of Music from 1999 to 2006, and served as Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities and Interim Dean of the College of Fine Arts from 2006 to 2016.
Dahlia Guerra holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pan American University, a Master of Music degree from Southern Methodist University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma. She has presented numerous solo and chamber piano recitals throughout South Texas and Mexico, and has performed as soloist with the Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Sinfonica de Nuevo Leon, and the Sinfonica de la UAT in Tampico, Mexico.
As a musician and concert pianist, she has devoted her life to promoting the value of the creative and liberal arts in education, stressing the tremendous impact of an arts education on the developmental growth of every child and its power to level the “learning field” across socio-economic boundaries, adding to overall academic achievement and school success.
Much of Dahlia Guerra’s work has been based on preserving cultural strengths and traditions to empower a diverse student body, and she has a strong record of success as an educator in South Texas. She is the founder and co-director of the Mariachi Aztlán, a nationally award-winning student ensemble that has performed for audiences throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Dr. Dahlia Guerra founded and has been the director of FESTIBA (Festival of International Books and Arts) since 2006, celebrating the arts and humanities while promoting literacy in South Texas. As a member of the City of Edinburg community, she has served as President of the South Texas Literacy Coalition and she is passionate about promoting early childhood literacy. She is a member of the City of Edinburg’s Arts Foundation, and is devoted to providing cultural arts activities to the community to enhance the quality of life in South Texas. She was named 2014 Cultural Leader of the Year by the Valley Symphony Orchestra, Woman of Distinction by the RGV Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 2014, and named Literacy Champion by Congressman Ruben Hinojosa and the South Texas Literacy Coalition.
In 2021, Dahlia Guerra was awarded the Ohtli Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Government of Mexico to individuals or organizations that have worked to empower the Mexican diaspora and helped to “open the path” for new Mexican American and Hispanic generations.
Founder and CEO of the South Texas Music & Cultural Arts Foundation
Dr. Dahlia Guerra served as Assistant Vice-President of Public Art and Special Assistant to the Dean of Fine Arts at the University of Texas Grande Valley since 2016. She was Chair of Music from 1999 to 2006, and served as Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities and Interim Dean of the College of Fine Arts from 2006 to 2016.
Dahlia Guerra holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pan American University, a Master of Music degree from Southern Methodist University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma. She has presented numerous solo and chamber piano recitals throughout South Texas and Mexico, and has performed as soloist with the Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Sinfonica de Nuevo Leon, and the Sinfonica de la UAT in Tampico, Mexico.
As a musician and concert pianist, she has devoted her life to promoting the value of the creative and liberal arts in education, stressing the tremendous impact of an arts education on the developmental growth of every child and its power to level the “learning field” across socio-economic boundaries, adding to overall academic achievement and school success.
Much of Dahlia Guerra’s work has been based on preserving cultural strengths and traditions to empower a diverse student body, and she has a strong record of success as an educator in South Texas. She is the founder and co-director of the Mariachi Aztlán, a nationally award-winning student ensemble that has performed for audiences throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Dr. Dahlia Guerra founded and has been the director of FESTIBA (Festival of International Books and Arts) since 2006, celebrating the arts and humanities while promoting literacy in South Texas. As a member of the City of Edinburg community, she has served as President of the South Texas Literacy Coalition and she is passionate about promoting early childhood literacy. She is a member of the City of Edinburg’s Arts Foundation, and is devoted to providing cultural arts activities to the community to enhance the quality of life in South Texas. She was named 2014 Cultural Leader of the Year by the Valley Symphony Orchestra, Woman of Distinction by the RGV Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 2014, and named Literacy Champion by Congressman Ruben Hinojosa and the South Texas Literacy Coalition.
In 2021, Dahlia Guerra was awarded the Ohtli Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Government of Mexico to individuals or organizations that have worked to empower the Mexican diaspora and helped to “open the path” for new Mexican American and Hispanic generations.