Musicians celebrate day of the Venezuelan cuatro

Local and Venezuelan musicians celebrated National Venezuelan Cuatro Day with a concert called Cuatro, Cuatro of Two Thousand and Twenty-Four, on April 4.

National Cuatro Day in Venezuela is celebrated on April 4, because on that date in 2004, Venezuela launched the massive cultural programme
La Siembra del Cuatro (The Sowing of Cuatro).

The objective is to teach children and adolescents especially how to play the cuatro.

This year marks two decades since the programme began.

Alvaro Sanchez Cordero, ambassador of Venezuela, said: “It is a true honour for us to pay tribute to the most Venezuelan musical instrument, the cuatro, which represents our identity."

The cuatro, a four-stringed instrument from the guitar family, is used in all the folkloric rhythms of Venezuela such as the joropo, the gaita and the calypso of El Callao city.

"This is a musical instrument that can be found in any town or region of Venezuela, and it has also been a constant throughout our history.”

He said the Venezuelan authorities have made a conscious effort to spread the teaching of cuatro throughout Venezuela.

“In addition, the great advances achieved by the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra System, known as El Sistema, are proverbial. One million children are part of El Sistema in Venezuela, but what not many people know is that in addition to classical music, El Sistema also has a popular music programme, which of course includes cuatro.”

Sanchez Cordero said the concert also served to pay tribute to TT and the original Venezuelan coco panyols who brought the cuatro from Venezuela to Trinidad and Tobago's cocoa plantations in the 19th century – “An example of union and cultural bond between Venezuela and TT.”

After the welcoming words, musicians who are part of the Venezuelan Institute for Culture and Co-operation (IVCC) of the Venezuelan embassy joined cuatrista Rodolfo Pereira, director of the Venezuelan music group Nuevas Raíces, and Jeremías Mai Marcano, oboist and music teacher in a performance.

Several traditional Venezuelan songs were played by the cuatristas during the night.

Singers Egda Rojas and Audrey Holder accompanied some songs.

Local musicians Dominic Thompson, Jalan Maughn and Jonathan Mottley also gave solo performances.

The night closed with a special performance by Alicia Jaggasar, president of the National Parang Association.

It was held at the Pamella Benson Audiovisual Room National Library and Information System Authority (Nalis), Port of Spain. The event was organised by the Venezuelan embassy.