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Discography

Cuarteto de Clarinetes de Caracas

Caracas Clarinet Quartet

The Caracas Clarinet Quartet is a representative association of the current Venezuelan musical world that supports
its artistic proposal in the
Latin-American repertoire.

Founded on the year 1988, the academic formation and the professional performance of its members, found in chamber music, the path to cultivate and interpret an original repertoire that has considerable
artistic dimensions.

At the present time, Gregory Parra (piccolo and soprano clarinets), Orlando Pimentel (soprano clarinet), Victor Salamanques (alt and soprano clarinet) and Gorgias Sanchez (bass clarinet) form the band. All of them, musicians which most of their academic formation comes from the "Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Juveniles de Venezuela"; the Caracas Clarinet Quartet interprets chamber Latin-American music in a format never heard before, mixing and fusing with originality, elements of the academic, oral tradition and popular music.

Among the musicians that have influenced the concept of this quartet, representative of the Venezuelan school of clarinet in the latest time, in a fundamental way; some people must be mentioned: In the first place Jorge Montilla (at the present, titular professor at the University of the State of Arizona in The United States of America), and Carlos Bello (at the time, main clarinetist of the National Philharmonic Venezuelan Orchestra), both of them founders of this project, who developed soloist careers and then, because their bond as friends and teachers advises of Valdemar Rodreguez, Luis Rossi, Mark Friedman, Walter Boeykens, Howard Klug, Alejandro Rodreguez, Roberto Cedeio, Alberto Naranjo, Jacques Braunstein,
Paul Desenne, Dario Peialoza
and Paquito D'Rivera.

The musical proposal of the Caracas Clarinet Quartet, has allowed a link with the International Clarinet Association ICA, performing as Latin-American artists, special guests on their world clarinet festivals, on the editions of Paris, France (1996), Lubbock, United States of America (1997), Beijing, China (1998), Oostende, Belgium (1999), Washington, United States of America (2004) and Atlanta, United States of America (2006). They have also been taken to perform in festivals and musical cycles in Caracas, they have done concerts in all the Venezuelan national territory under the sponsorship of the Consejo Nacional de la Cultura (Conac), and they have performed in international tours through Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Chile, China, Ecuador, United States of America, France, England, Peru, Puerto Rico
and Uruguay.

The international career of the Caracas Clarinet Quartet has always been oriented on showing the world a contemporary and original Latin-American musical concept. The interest and rigor of this ensemble to spread the work of present Venezuelan composers, deserves a special mention.

In the ninetees, the Caracas Clarinet Quartet recorded two compact discs for the Venezuelan label "Producciones Musicarte" (Cuarteto de Clarinetes de Caracas, Producciones Musicarte MS-093-CD and Aires tropicales, Cuarteto de Clarinetes de Caracas presenting Paquito D'Rivera, Producciones Musicarte MS-100-CD). Both projects deserved the recognition of the national and international critique, becoming important pieces of the latest Venezuelan discography. In 1996, this quartet from Caracas received the National Artist Award for Classic Band of the Year, award given by the "Casa del Artista"
and the "Conac".

The Caracas Clarinet Quartet has shared stage with international figures in the category of Paquito D'Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, The Manhattan Transfer, Fred Mills, Jonathan Cohler, Victor Mestas, Andras Briceio, Marco Navarro, Javier Montilla, Carlos Silva, Yamaha of Venezuela All Stars, Roberto Castillo, Paulo Sergio Santos and Anat Cohen. At the same time, the quartet has worked in recording studios with Paquito D'Rivera, Alejandro Rodreguez, Paul Desenne, Ivan Garcea, Ilan Chester, Alonso Toro, Alberto Naranjo, Orlando Montiel, William Sigismondi, Alberto Vergara, Yonder Rodreguez, David Peia, Carlos Rodrwguez, Nelson Sarda, Alberto Jose Requena, Horacio el Negro Hernendez, Anat Cohen, Carlos Nena Quintero, Jorge Glem, Omar Jeanten, Aquiles Biez, Rafael el Pollo Brito and Dareo Peialoza.

Nowadays, and celebrating their eighteen years of artistic life, the Caracas Clarinet Quartet, in alliance with the Venezuelan label "Cacao Musica", maintains their commitment with excellence, the freedom of creation, the emotion and originality. Their searches, their international projections, their recordings and their concerts reveal this natural capacity that Gregory, Orlando, Victor and Gorgias of finding their way with delicate balance and refinement, within the limits between academic and popular music.

Gregory Parra Clarinetes piccolo y soprano
Orlando Pimental Clarinete soprano
Victor Salamanques Clarinetes
alto y soprano
Gorgias Sanchez Clarinete bajo
Artistas Invitados: Anat Cohen Clarinete
Jorge Glem Cuatro
Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez Bateria
Omar Jeanton Bateria
Carlos "Nene" Quintero Cajon peruano