Bandleader
Lorena Garay
Lorena Garay is a multi-award-winning guitarist from Puerto Rico who performs classical, Spanish and Latin guitar, as well as many other guitar styles.
Lorena earned her Master of Music Summa Cum Laude from the Hartt School at the University of Hartford, where she received the Guitar Department Award. She holds a Bachelor of Music Summa Cum Laude from the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, from which she received the Gold Medal from the String Department. Lorena is the recipient of many awards, including the Identidad Latina's Gold Latin Music Award. She performs regularly as a soloist and bandleader of her award-winning ensemble, Surcari, who received the Arts For Learning Connecticut's 2018 Performing Artist of the Year Award.
She has released two albums: La Guitarra de Puerto Rico, a featured album of a Greater Hartford Arts Council's United Arts Gift Giving Campaign; and Surcari, which won Third place for Best South and Central American Album at the 2009 Just Plain Folks Independent Music Awards.
Lorena earned her Master of Music Summa Cum Laude from the Hartt School at the University of Hartford, where she received the Guitar Department Award. She holds a Bachelor of Music Summa Cum Laude from the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, from which she received the Gold Medal from the String Department. Lorena is the recipient of many awards, including the Identidad Latina's Gold Latin Music Award. She performs regularly as a soloist and bandleader of her award-winning ensemble, Surcari, who received the Arts For Learning Connecticut's 2018 Performing Artist of the Year Award.
She has released two albums: La Guitarra de Puerto Rico, a featured album of a Greater Hartford Arts Council's United Arts Gift Giving Campaign; and Surcari, which won Third place for Best South and Central American Album at the 2009 Just Plain Folks Independent Music Awards.
Member Two
Eugenio Huanca
Eugenio Huanca, a native of Chile, has devoted his life to playing music from Latin America and the Andes. He is a certified member of the Aymara indigenous group according to The National Corporation for Indigenous Development (CONADI) founded by the Indigenous Law, which recognized all indigenous peoples of Chile. Eugenio is a very accomplished musician who builds his own musical instruments. He has traveled all over South, Central and North America performing on national television in each country he visited.
Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Smithsonian Institute are among the most prestigious venues where he has performed. At Boston Symphony Hall, he performed with the Boston Pops. At the National Cathedral, he performed with world-renowned soprano Denise Graves. Eugenio's former group, Guamary, participated in the soundtrack for the PBS documentary: "Flight of the Condor." He is a former band member of several Latin groups, such as Altiplano, Flor de Caña, Sol y Canto, Andes Manta, and Viva Quetzal. He has recorded over a dozen albums with the aforementioned bands and other recording artists.
Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Smithsonian Institute are among the most prestigious venues where he has performed. At Boston Symphony Hall, he performed with the Boston Pops. At the National Cathedral, he performed with world-renowned soprano Denise Graves. Eugenio's former group, Guamary, participated in the soundtrack for the PBS documentary: "Flight of the Condor." He is a former band member of several Latin groups, such as Altiplano, Flor de Caña, Sol y Canto, Andes Manta, and Viva Quetzal. He has recorded over a dozen albums with the aforementioned bands and other recording artists.
Member Three
Edilio Bermudez
Edilio Bermudez, a native of Venezuela, is an accomplished violinist, bassist, composer, arranger, and music teacher. Edilio started playing the violin at the age of 12 with the Youth Symphonic Orchestra of his hometown. Three years later, he was awarded a scholarship to study at several conservatories in Paris, France, where he spent five years mastering the violin.
While in Paris, Edilio taught himself to play the bass guitar, utilizing some of the practice techniques he used with the violin. Shortly after, he started playing bass professionally in the Latin music scene in Paris. Back in Venezuela, Edilio played with master saxophonist, Santiago Baquedano, and was introduced to jazz.
He went to Berklee College of Music in Boston to pursue an Artist Diploma in jazz performance. While in Boston, he continued playing jazz and Latin music, sharing the stage with world-renowned percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo and Berklee professor and vibraphone player Victor Mendoza. Edilio has recorded with renowned drummer Bob Moses and pianist Danilo Perez. Also, he has backed up many salsa singers, including Marvin Santiago and Lalo Rodriguez.
While in Paris, Edilio taught himself to play the bass guitar, utilizing some of the practice techniques he used with the violin. Shortly after, he started playing bass professionally in the Latin music scene in Paris. Back in Venezuela, Edilio played with master saxophonist, Santiago Baquedano, and was introduced to jazz.
He went to Berklee College of Music in Boston to pursue an Artist Diploma in jazz performance. While in Boston, he continued playing jazz and Latin music, sharing the stage with world-renowned percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo and Berklee professor and vibraphone player Victor Mendoza. Edilio has recorded with renowned drummer Bob Moses and pianist Danilo Perez. Also, he has backed up many salsa singers, including Marvin Santiago and Lalo Rodriguez.
Guest Member
Steven Laschever
Trumpet & Flugelhorn
