Felix Gato Peralta is a Chicano singer-songwriter, guitarist, accordionist, and harmonica player from New Mexico. An international touring musician, he delivers high-energy performances that mix fiery guitar blues with soulful zydeco accordion, infectious cumbia rhythms, and heartfelt dance-storytelling lyrics rooted in Genízaro traditions.

His songs have been featured in the PBS documentary The Genízaro Experience: Shadows in Light and in the informational documentary The Steps of Our Ancestors, based on the Library of Congress Collection. He has performed at the Kennedy Center as part of the Arts Across America program and is a 2026 recipient of the 516 ARTS Fulcrum Fund grant.

Felix is a dedicated music mentor and cultural educator who leads outreach programs in schools across the United States. He currently teaches at Siembra Leadership High School, a charter school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he integrates regional folk traditions and Chicano Studies with hands-on music making.

Through his music and teaching, Felix honors ancestral histories—from Spain and Mexico to his Genízaro identity in New Mexico—while using song as a pathway for healing generational trauma and keeping cultural traditions alive for the