MEMBERS / INTEGRANTES
SOBEIDA MARTINEZ Singer, Songwriter
She begins her musical activities at 5 years of age with the "Rafael Suarez Polifónico Children" She has been a member of important groups like Los Tucusitos, Vasallos del Sol and Entreverao de Raíces. Winner of the Youth Voice of Caracas (1993), La Voz de la Pastora (1993) and The Augustinian Voice (1992)
She has participated in International Festivals of Traditional Music and Dance, in Guatemala, Brazil, Spain, "International Folklore Festival in Andalusia, France, Germany, and Portugal. In 2011, she was invited by the National Orchestra System as singing instructor for the foundation of the Afro-Venezuelan Orchestra of the Simon Bolivar Conservatory, providing advice and assembly of traditional Afro-Venezuelan popular repertoire. From 2019 to the present he is a member of "Comparsa Sur", a musical group founded by renowned Chilean musician Ismael "Bandolero" Duran, who was also the creator and founder of the "Garage Cultural" in Detroit, MI. She participated in the "Concert Of Color" Festival, Detroit Public TV in 2019 and 2021. She is currently the lead singer of the "Trabuco y Son" Orchestra in Detroit, Michigan.
IRIS FIGUEROA
Singer / Teacher in Education
My musical career began in 1984 when I joined the traditional group "Grupo El Valle", dedicated to the dissemination of popular Venezuelan folk music for 8 years. In 1988 I was the founder and singer of the group "Vasallos del Sol" of the Bigott Foundation for 20 years, participating in the research, dissemination and projection of Venezuelan popular folk music in different national stages, and representing Venezuela in a large number of International Festivals: Spain, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Germany, Canary Islands, Brazil, Portugal, Colombia, London, Mexico, South Korea and Japan. I have shared stages with renowned artists such as Yordano, Franco De Vita, Simón Díaz, Celia Cruz, Oscar D` León, among others. I was part of the groups "Francisco Pacheco y su Pueblo", "Autóctonos de La Vega", "Un Solo Pueblo", "La Nueva Parranda de Simón Díaz", "José Osta y su Banda", "Grupo Vera" In the year In 1999 he founded the folkloric group "Irys y su Parranda", and currently I continue to praise and promote our popular music with musical presentations and vocal training workshops for children, youth and adults.
AMBAR SANCHEZ
Singer / Teacher in Education
She was born in the city of Caracas in the year 1991.
He began his musical career at the age of five in the IUPOL school choir. At the age of nine, she began her musical studies at the José Ángel Lamas Higher School of Music, where she also studied choral practice, popular singing and complementary piano. She studied at the University Institute of Musical Studies (IUDEM) in the chair of musical language and popular singing. In 2018, she graduated from the "José Manuel Siso Martínez" Pedagogical Institute of Miranda (UPEL) obtaining a degree in Music Education and the title of Music Teacher with honors.
She participated and obtained prizes in several important national competitive festivals such as
; “The School Voice 2001”, “The Children's Voice 2002”, “The Bolivarian Voice 2003”, “Canta Claro Nacional Festival 2003”, “La Voz Bomberil 2003”, “La Voz Pentagrama 2004”, “Voz Liceísta Distrital 2005” and “The Voice UPEL 2014”.
She participated for sixteen years, until 2017, as a volunteer in the llanera music group of the Firefighters of the Capital District.
In 2018 he recorded his first promotional titled "Te he de olvidar", (I have to forget you) with the authorship of Judith Villamizar, belonging to his first record production that contains unpublished songs of his own inspiration.
Percussionist
Born in Maracay, Aragua State, Venezuela. He has the privilege of living with cultivators of the musical tradition in the Venezuelan coastal zone, where the drums are the protagonists of the popular festivals. Faithful exponent and promoter of Afro-Venezuelan rhythms in every place where he has had the opportunity to perform.
He was the founder and musical director of the Tambor Nativo group, he participated as a musician in YambeCosta, Tambor Saoco and Caña de Azúcar RR Tambores. In 2003 he traveled to Michigan, United States, and began to live in this country and continued spreading his musical roots, creating "Venezuela, Tambor y Son", the first Afro-Venezuelan drum group founded in Detroit, Michigan. They make presentations with the organization "Venezuelan United in Michigan." In 2012 he created "Trabuco y Son", an orchestra of salsa and other Latin rhythms. Performing at "The Garden Theater", and other important events in Detroit, Michigan. In 2017, Alfonso Reina, makes a proposal with Afro-Venezuelan drums for the concert of the singer Mariana Risquez, with the special participation of the percussionist and luthier Willy Mayo Martinez. He is a member of Comparsa Sur, a musical group belonging to the Community Art Training Center: Cultural Garage founded by Ismael Duran.
CARLOS MARTINEZ
Bass Player / Musical director
He began his musical activities at the young age of four, being the fourth soloist of this chosen style of writing and began to develop his abilities on stringed instruments. At the age of 7 he began to study Bandola LLanera and, because of its sonority and versatility, decided to learn more about it. This permitted him to become one of the best Venezulean performers and interpreters of this particular instrument.
His musical studies of the Bandola LLanera were at the "Jose Hernandez Diaz" School of Music with Professor Ali Montero of Cuatro and Mandolina, in the Workshops of Popular Culture in the Bigot Foundation with Professor Carlos Arcila and in the "Pedro Nolasco Colon" School of Music. He continued his studies with Professor Gilberto Simoza (1996), Professor Asdrubal "Cheo" Hurtado (1997) and Professor Ismael Querales (1997),
In addition, he is a former member of "Vasallos del Sol", "Saul Vera and his Band", "Morning Light Dances", "Fusion Sonora" and "National Company of Popular Dances". He is the current musical director of "Fibra", "Africaribe", "Antidivas", "Songs of the South", and "Tangle of Roots".
He has participated as a representative of Venezuela in International Festivals in Spain including "The International Festival of Folklore in Andalucia, Extremedura and the Gran Canaria" as well as international festivals of music, dance and folklore in France, Germany, Portugal, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Argentina. In the United States Mr. Martinez was featured at the "Heritage Festival" which was held in New Orleans, Louisiana.
JOHN JAIRO TRIVIÑO
Percussionist / Luthier
He Born in the city of Los Teques, Bolivarian State of Miranda,
He is a research teacher of the popular and traditional culture of
Venezuela and Latin Caribbean, graduated from the National University Experimental Simón Rodríguez (2005) and teacher of "Technology Educational” at UNEFA; served for 18 years uninterrupted as a music teacher by the MPPE and in Funda Musical Simón Bolívar (2012). Percussionist musician, studied at the Miranda Symphony Orchestra Foundation (FOSEM) in the year 1992, he participated in the Latin percussion workshops at the Fundación Madera (2000) and is a graduate of the "Pedro Nolasco Colón" School of Music; with more than 30 years of experience in the training of boys, girls, youth and adults from various communities in the Altos Mirandinos region, showing his performance in the Orquesta Sinfónica Penitenciaria del INOF and Afro-Venezuelan Orchestra of Carrizal. Director of Orquesta Melao (salsa) with 20 years of experience, Viking´s Orchestra (bagpipes) for 15 years, Irys and his Parranda (Afro-Venezuelan) with 16 years of musical activity and Calipsio Bumbac (calypso) that was born, after a process of research in 2017. Likewise, he is the creator of the execution and builder of the Reed Drum that is played in the Fiesta in honor of San Juan Bautista, patron saint of the Carrizal municipality, declared Heritage Cultural by the Municipal Chamber, on June 24, 2019.
During his musical and artistic career, seeking innovation and perpetuation of the Afro-Venezuelan and Latin-Caribbean percussion instruments, he decides to build and design various drums with innovative and lasting ideas that allow their execution both in their own cultural manifestations with the same sound quality, as in various groups of music of different styles. This is how Johnpercusion was born in 2009, a company dedicated to the elaboration and design of Afro-Venezuelan and Latin-Caribbean percussion instruments with a sealoriginal and export quality..
CARLOS MARTINEZ ULLOA
Percussionist
Self taught musician and Founder of the Four Venezuelan Strings, venturing into the world of music at a very early age. He was self motivated and enjoyed participating in scholarly activities within his community.
In 1985, observing the potential of his children, Sobeida and Carlitos, he decided to support them and accompany them in the discovery of their own musical talents with the clear idea of forming a Venezuelan musical group. All of this effort crystallized when, in 1986, they had their first performance as "Los Hermanos Martinez". At this stage, being of a younger age, performances were given for government institutions and private settings all helping in the promotion of the group.
He conducted courses and workshops on maracas and afro-venezuelan percussion in the "Workshops of Popular Culture '' at the Bigott Foundation. He was a member of La Coral BCV, directed for the "Maestro Gonzalo Pena '' and the "Coral Yellow House '' of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also formed part of the group "Canto and Parranda".