El Taller is thrilled to once again collaborate with festival organizers to present the 2nd Annual Venezuelans in NYC Festival featuring the Juancho Herrera Jazz Trio and Ensemble a Contratiempo. For more information about the festival, please visit their website at www.venezuelansnycfestival.com 

Juancho Herrera started his musical journey with the influence of traditional Venezuelan music. He enrolled at Ars Nova School of Music in Caracas and later moved to the U.S. in 1993 to continue his studies at Berklee College of Music, were he received a scholarship as a guitarist. He has recorded several CDs as band leader and sideman, and has performed in prestigious venues such as The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Centro Cultural La Estancia in Caracas and Carnegie Hall in New York. Juancho has collaborated and performed with several artists including: Grammy Award winner Lila Downs (Mexico), Mercedes Sosa (Argentina), Marta Gomez (Colombia), The Chieftains (Ireland), Tony Award winning vocalist Tsidii Le Loka (South Africa), guitarist Aquiles Báez (Venezuela), Joe Vasconcellos (Chile), salsa icon Johnny Pacheco among many others. Juancho Herrera will perform with his jazz trio, alongside Ben Zwerin and Yayo Serka. For more information about Juancho Herrera, please visit his website at www.juanchoherrera.com. 

Ensemble a Contratiempo was born from a fusion of musical traditions including Bossa Nova, Jazz and traditional Venezuelan rhythms. The Ensemble, compromised of Angel Tolosa Moreno (harp), Luis Tolosa (cuatro venezolano), Ezequiel Lopez (electric bass) and Cesar Alberto Gonzalez Cisnero (percussion), has performed throughout Venezuela, in the International Folklore Festival in Mexico, and at La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley, California. www.ensambleacontratiempo.com