Eddy Marcano Acoustic Quartet
Members
EDDY MARCANO is undoubtedly one of Venezuela’s most celebrated violinists and conductors. Marcano is one of the nation’s most prominent cultural ambassadors, having trained in Venezuela’s National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs—El Sistema. He was a member of the first violin section of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela for more than 30 years, where he performed as a soloist on numerous occasions. His extensive career includes teaching, performing, directing, and promoting the arts.
Marcano served as Artistic Director of the Simón Bolívar Conservatory in Venezuela and as Director of the “Música 100 x 35” program, developed by the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. He also taught violin and conducting at the University of the Arts (Venezuela) and served as a UNESCO Music Commissioner for the creation of youth and children’s orchestras.
He has enjoyed extraordinary success around the world conducting prestigious orchestras such as the Cairo Opera Symphony Orchestra, the Panama National Symphony Orchestra, the Antofagasta Chile Symphony Orchestra, the Puerto Rico Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Venezuelan Symphony Orchestra, and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela.
Throughout his career as a performer, Marcano has had the pleasure of appearing as a soloist with orchestras in Puerto Rico, Panama, Paraguay, Argentina, Venezuela, and the United States. He has also enjoyed great success on major stages such as Carnegie Hall, the Smithsonian Institution, and UNISA in South Africa. He was recognized by the Latin Grammy Academy for his participation as a violinist in the collection *Tesoros de la Música Venezolana*.
He is currently a member of the Houston Latin American Philharmonic and runs his own violin academy in Houston at Intempo Dance, USA.
Baden Goyo, born in Venezuela and based in New York City, is a pianist, composer, and arranger. In 2015, he became an ambassador for the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation and was awarded The Gifted Scholarship. Shortly after moving to NYC, Baden received major music awards: 1 Grammy and 2 Latin Grammys for his work as a songwriter alongside the legendary singer-songwriter Rubén Blades on his acclaimed album *Salsa Big Band* (2017).
With elegant composition and refined arrangements, Baden’s music takes the listener on a journey that is both exhilarating and contemplative, often blending the vitality of traditional folk genres from his native Venezuela with the rich hues and sophistication of jazz harmonies, creating a new space that embraces both innovation and tradition.
The Venezuelan pianist has also collaborated and performed alongside iconic artists such as Paquito D’Rivera, Luis Enrique, Concha Buika, Sofia Carson, Gerry Weil, Luisito Quintero, Claudia Acuña, and Jorge Glem; and he is an active participant in the New York City music scene, performing at legendary venues such as Dizzy’s Club, Carnegie Hall, The Iridium Jazz Club, The Jazz Gallery, and The Bitter End.
José Layo Puentes is a versatile bassist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally from Los Teques, Venezuela, his music is rooted in folk, latin dance and classical music, and his collaborative spirit has made him indispensable to numerous touring ensembles over his career. He currently performs nationally and internationally with Venezuelan violinist Eddie Marcano, and other recent work includes collaborations with Quantum Theatre (Pittsburgh, PA), the Panama Jazz Festival (Panama City), and singer/songwriter Emily Pinkerton (Albany, NY). Trained in Venezuela’s famed “El Sistema” program, José has toured as a classical bassist with Point Chamber Orchestra (Pittsburgh), Sinfónica Venezuela (Venezuela), Filarmónica de Caracas (Venezuela), Simón Bolívar (Venezuela), Jóvenes Arcos (Venezuela), Camerata San Cristóbal (Venezuela) and Camerata Barroca de Caracas (Venezuela). José holds an Artist Diploma in Jazz from Duquesne University, and a performance certificate from Carnegie Mellon University, and is a sought after freelance player in the Pittsburgh region in tango, salsa and orchestral groups.
Yilmer Vivas is a multi-instrumentalist with great artistic versatility.
In 2016, he became the first Venezuelan musician to join the prestigious Cirque du Soleil, where he currently performs as the drummer for the show Luzia. In this show, he combines his wide-ranging musical knowledge and Latin American influences, and also plays various musical instruments.
His musical background includes formal training in percussion and orchestral performance. In 2007, he began training as a drummer, an instrument that allows him to fully express his musicality.
He has participated in numerous international tours with a variety of groups, including jazz trios, percussion ensembles, ensembles specializing in traditional Venezuelan music, symphony orchestras, and jazz orchestras. He has shared the stage with various Venezuelan and international musicians such as Panagiotis Andreou, Aquiles Báez, Roberto Koch, Pablo Gil, Rodner Padilla, Jorge Glem, Eddy Marcano, Linda Briceño, Leonard Jácome, “Cheche” Requena, Carmela Ramírez, Gabriel Chakarji, Lester Paredes, Pablo González Sarre, Tal Mashiach y Freddy Adrián.
His teachers, role models, and influences in learning the instrument are José “Cheo” Cárdenas, José Alberto Marquez, Wieland Weldzer, Jan Schlichte, Fernando Meza, Ricardo Alvarado, Yvan Hernandez, Jhon Grimes, Jerry Leake, Ernesto Laya, Manuel Rangel, Rolando Briceño, James Seeley, Richard Griffin, James Delano Zollar, Stafford Hunter, Danny Mixon, Nicolas Folmer, Andres Briceño, Lawrence O’Neill, Luis Perdomo, Edward Simon, Olegario Díaz, Dave Samuels, Ed Roman Filiu, Edward Wolf, Johnathan Blake y Jeff Hamilton.
He has participated in numerous recording projects, including his debut solo album *Colors in My Mind*, *Soñartes* (drummer, producer), *Freddy Adrián* (drummer), *Walking Hands* (drummer and percussionist), *Vida* (drummer and percussionist), *Latin American Classics* with the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra (percussionist), Luzia by Cirque du Soleil DVD (drums, percussion, Venezuelan cuatro, maracas, marimba, and vocals), Viva Piazzola DVD (drummer and percussionist), Margarita en Concierto DVD (drummer and percussionist), Viajera – Severine Parent (producer, drums, percussion, and cuatro).
In 2018, his debut album *Colors in My Mind* expressed all his influences, knowledge, and musical richness with remarkable creativity through a blend of rhythms, ideas, and sonic contrasts.
Yilmer is a member of the REMO and CRAVIOTTO families.
