César Alejandro Carrillo, composer

Born: March 25, 1957 in Venezuela

Education: studied composition with Modesta Bor at the music school “José Lorenzo Llamozas”; began musical studies as a cellist at the Escuela Superior de Musica “José Ángel Lamas”; graduated cum laude in choral conducting from the Instituto Universitario de Estudios Musicales

Has arranged music for: Latin American artists including Ilan Chester, Serenata Guayanesa, and María Teresa Chacín

As a conductor: currently conducting the choirs at Orfeón Universitario de la Universidad Central de Venezuela, Coro de la Electricidad de Caracas, and his own chamber choir Cantarte Coro de Cámara; most recently appointed to conduct the choral group Antiphona

Works: creative work has been devoted exclusively to choral music; these works have garnered nearly 20 awards

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Antonio Estévez, composer

Born: January 3, 1916 in Calabozo, Venezuela

Died: November 26, 1988 in Caracas, Venezuela

Education: moved to Caracas to study the oboe and composition with Vicente Emilio Sojo at the Escuela de Música y Declamación; also studied with Koussevitsky, Bernstein and others at Columbia University and Tanglewood; obtained a fellowship from the National Institute of Culture and moved to Paris to study electronic techniques

Venezuelan music: collaborated with Sojo and Juan Bautista Plaza in the transcription and rehabilitation of Venezuelan colonial music

Posts: taught harmony at the National School of Music in Caracas; founded the Estudio de Fonología Musical

Important Works: Concerto for Orchestra; Cantata criolla; Cromovibrafonía múltiple

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Gabriela Lena Frank, composer

Born: 1972 in Berkeley, California

Education: attended Rice University, where she earned a BA and MA; received her DMA in composition from the University of Michigan; studied composition with William Albright, William Bolcom, Leslie Bassett, Michael Daugherty, Paul Cooper, Ellsworth Milburn, and Sam Jones, and piano with Logan Skelton and Jeanne Kierman Fischer

Key Works: Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout, Illapa: Tone Poem for Flute and Orchestra, Three Latin American Dances, La Llorona: Tone Poem for Viola and Orchestra, Quijotadas, Peregrinos, Hailí Lirico

Best known for: being something of a musical anthropologist; she has travelled extensively throughout South America and her pieces reflect her studies of Latin-American culture

Has collaborated with: Dawn Upshaw, Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, The King’s Singers, violinist Robin Sharp and the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Ballet Hispanico, Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony, Concertante, Brentano String Quartet, Chanticleer, Kronos Quartet, Modesto Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Green Umbrella new music series

Awards and honors: in 2009, received the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship to assist in research and artistic creation; with guitarist Manuel Barrueco and Cuarteto Laninoamericano, received the 2009 Latin Grammy for Best Classical Contemporary Composition for her work Inca Dances

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Alberto Grau, composer

Born: 19 January 1938 in Barcelona

Education: trained as a pianist in Caracas and studied conducting with Castellanos-Yumar and composition with Vicente Emilio Sojo

Founded: the Schola Cantorum of Caracas which won the International Guido D’Arezzo Prize in polyphonic singing in 1974; two non-profit organizations, the Fundación Schola Cantorum and the Movimiento Coral Cantemos, training several generations of conductors and promoting the creation of numerous amateur choirs

Influence: in collaboration with Maria Guinand and in coordination with the Fundación para la Orquesta Nacional Juvenil led by José Antonio Abreu, he has helped develop choral music in Venezuela in the last quarter of the 20th century

Awards and honors: awarded the Premio Nacional de Música in 1987; received the Premio FAMA award from the Fundación Polar in 1997; won the Jose Angel Montero National Composition Prize three times

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María Guinand, Composer

Born: 1953 in Caracas, Venezuela

Education: began formal studies at the Juan Manuel Olivares School of Music in Caracas; received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the University of Bristol, England; earned a Choral Conductor Diploma from the Youth Orchestra Academy in Caracas

Positions: dean of the José Angel Lamas Music School and the University Simón Bolívar in Caracas where she is a professor of music; served on the Executive Committee of the International Music Council of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), and First Vice President in the International Federation for Choral Music

As a conductor: conducts the Cantoría Alberto Grau, the Orfeón Universitario Simón Bolívar, and the Schola Cantorum de Venezuela; has toured and guest conducted all over the world and prepared choirs for such conductors as Eduardo Mata, Alberto Grau, Simon Rattle, Helmuth Rilling, Claudio Abbado, Krzysztof Penderecki and Gustavo Dudamel

Awards and honors: awarded the Kulturpreis by the Inter Nationes Foundation from Germany; awarded the Robert Edler Prize for Choral Music in Germany; awarded the Helmuth Rilling Prize by the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart in 2009

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Huayucaltia

Huayucaltia (pronounced why – you –call – TEE- ah) is the most innovative Latin American-folk-jazz fusion band performing today. The group, whose name means kinship and unity in the ancient language of the Aztecs, was formed 25 years ago. It has performed throughout the Americas, and twice in the Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

This unique ensemble creates an original musical experience by using hundreds of traditional instruments from Latin America, blending haunting and organic sounds with contemporary instruments and musical forms. Its performances are festive renditions of original compositions fusing traditional song styles with jazz, rock, classical, flamenco and other world-beat genres. Its music is an expression of their dreams, struggles, journeys and immense passion, describing the wonders, magic, pain, sadness and resilience of the timeless cultures of the Americas.

Huayucaltia has recorded seven albums and received a number of awards in recognition of their performance trajectory and innovative musical style. In 2001 and 2002, it was nominated for LA Weekly's Best of Los Angeles Music Awards in the World Music/Recombinant and MVP (Most Valuable Performer) categories. In spring 2002, the band received a Proclamation from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for its participation in the Summer Nights at the Ford series to sold-out audiences and its contributions to the community over the years. In 1989 Huayucaltia received the NAIRD award for best album of the year for Horizontes.

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