Huáscar Barradas has deserved eulogies such as the one given by the prestigious German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemaine Zeitung: “Mr. Barradas transported us to the expressive spectrum of the flute, beyond of what our European ears are used to. He shined with absolute rhythmic precision and virtuosity…”
To widespread the spectrum of possibilities of the flute has been, precisely, the main purpose of this particular and versatile musician who can be seen on the stages of the world performing virtually any musical stream from Bach to the Beatles, as a soloist, as a symphonic musician, playing chamber music, contemporary music, folk music, flamenco, jazz or African music. To him and his flute, everything seems to be “just music".
His talent has taken him to important stages in Venezuela, USA, Japan, Germany, France, England, Canada, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, Colombia, Peru, Korea, Phillipinines, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Martinique, Aruba, St. Lucia and El Salvador.
He has represented Venezuela at important festivals such as Radio France et Montpellier Festival, European Flute Festival of Frankfurt, Expo-Hannover 2000, National Flute Association Convention 2000, the International Contemporary Music Festival of Bogotá, International Festival of Folklore in Turkey, 1st Latin American Flute Convention in Caracas, XII International Musica Convention of Medellin, among others.
He has produced 6 CDs (4 of them, platinum in the Venezuelan market) with his music band “Huáscar Barradas y Maracaibo”. In addition to it, he has recorded as soloist with the National Phylharmonic Orchestra the piece specially written for him by the Venezuelan composer Domingo Sánchez Bor, “Viaje de la Jirafa” (Journey of the Jiraffe).
In 2003 he produced and launched “Pacificando”, Whales and Humans singing to life, an innovative CD; an impressive musical experiment combining sounds from the Pacific whales, with human voices and electro acoustic effects. The success of this initiative triggered his international recognition as composer.
Born in Maracaibo, Huáscar is the product of an excellent academic education which includes studies at the "Conservatorio de Música José Luis Paz" of Maracaibo in Venezuela, the Brooklyn Conservatory of New York (graduated Cum Laude), the Julliard School of Music, the Superior School of Music of Frankfurt (Sehr gut). He has studied under the supervision of prestigious Maestros as Eulogio Gómez, Bernard Golberg, Nirijam Nastasy, Robert Aitken, Aurele Nicolet, Peter Lukas Graf, Michael Scheneider, among others. He studied orchestral conducting with Vincent La Selva and Karoly Kope, and Jazz with Shelton Berg and Ron Carter. He is a founder member of the Estudiantina Juvenil and the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Zulia State. He won the Texas Junior College Competition in 1983. He was sponsored by the Society for the Professional Development of Young Artists of Hannover, Germany.
He has been granted important scholarships such as the German Academic Exchange Service and the Fundación Beracasa. He has been principal assistant flutist of the Maracaibo Symphony Orchestra and the National Philharmonic Orchestra, and Municipal Symphony Orchestra of Caracas.
As a professor, he has worked at the National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela and taught his course “The art of performing the flute” at different Conservatories in and out of Venezuela. Nowadays, he is a Professor of flute at the "Instituto Universitario de de Estudios Musicales" in Caracas, thus completing his busy professional agenda.
He has performed with important artists who at the same time have been special guest performers to his concerts, like Maestro Simón Díaz, María Teresa Chacín, Cecilia Todd, Ilan Chester, Guaco, Pedro Castillo, Aldemaro Romero, “El Pavo” Frank Hernández, Martirio, Chavela Vargas, Rosario and Lolita Flores.
In May 2004, his CD “Candela” is released by Lola Records for the European an international market, jointly with a promotional tour, performing in the most important jazz venues in Spain for almost a month. The same production is launched in Japan, June 2004.
By the end of 2004, Huascar presented “Encuentros”, a vanguard proposal, an amazing creation, a major transformation of the Venezuelan music. In 2005 he released the second album of Trio Acustico Venezolano. In 2006, he sold out 2 days in the Teresa Carreno Theater in Caracas, May 6-7, with his concert “Entre Amigos”, a magnificent spectacle, where his music magnetized over 2000 people each performance, with the most renowned Venezuelan artist as companions. A DVD with the “Entre Amigos” show is released by the end of 2006, jointly with his latest product: “Latineando”, a musical journey through Latin America, a combination of rhythms, sounds, instruments, an enrich experience with his unique personal touch. Also in 2006, the USA market welcomed “My Favorite Things”, a CD that compiled the best of his productions with great success.
Huascar lives in Caracas, Venezuela from where he is managing his busy and exciting professional career.
You can find more information at www.huascarbarradas.com
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