ANGEL CALDERA
Ángel Caldera began his musical studies with El Sistema in Yaracuy, Venezuela, where he was principal trumpet of the Youth Orchestra and later a founding member of the Venezuela Brass Ensemble. He studied orchestral conducting with Maestro Rodolfo Saglimbeni and José Antonio Abreu, and has extensive experience leading youth and symphonic ensembles throughout Venezuela.
From 2018 to 2021, he directed the Alberto Ginastera Youth Orchestra in Chascomús, Argentina, while also teaching trumpet and brass, performing with the Chascomús Philharmonic, and collaborating with youth orchestras across the country.
Returning to Venezuela in 2022, Caldera became a national advisor for El Sistema’s youth and children’s orchestras, coordinator of the National School of Brass and Symphonic Bands, and director of the Simón Bolívar Symphonic Band. In 2023, he was selected by Maestro Eduardo Marturet to conduct the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela in the closing concert of his conducting course.
He recently earned his degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Simón Bolívar Conservatory of Music, and continues advanced studies under maestros Alfredo Rugeles and Eduardo Marturet.
SELVA LUCERO REYES
Selva Lucero Reyes holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, majoring in Music, from UNEFM (2017), and a Higher Technical Degree in Instrumental Performance with a specialization in Symphonic Piano from the National Experimental University of the Arts. In 2023, she earned a Master of Science in Hispanic American Literature from UNEFM.
She began her piano studies at age five with Professor Wendy Revilla at the Pequeño Mundo Piano Academy, where she also started theory and solfège lessons. Since 2007, she has been part of El Sistema in Falcón, beginning violin studies with Professors Edith Polanco and Luis David Valles, later with Freddy Flores and Idamar Ventura, and joining the Orquesta Generalísimo Francisco de Miranda, Núcleo La Vela. That same year, she also began piano studies at the Juan Manuel Olivares National School of Music in Caracas, graduating in 2017. She studied under pianists Arnaldo Piazzolante, David Ascanio, Rodolfo Vidal, Beyla Rodríguez, Olga López, and Mara Mazzeo. In 2013, she became a first violinist with the Mozart Youth Orchestra of Núcleo Coro, and in 2014 joined the Falcón Regional Youth Symphony Orchestra through audition.
In 2010, she began orchestral conducting studies with Professor Pedro González and later with Maestro Teresa Hernández. From 2013, she studied conducting with Maestro Rubén Capriles, and has participated in masterclasses with John Farrer (USA), Cesar Iván Lara, Rodolfo Barraez, Alfredo Rugeles, and Eduardo Marturet.
Since 2017, she has served as Music Director of the Las Panelas Núcleo of El Sistema. She has been a guest conductor with the Falcón Regional Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Lara Symphony Orchestra, and the Falcón Symphony Orchestra. Currently, she is the Director of the Giuseppe Maiolino Conte Youth Symphony Orchestra at Núcleo Coro, El Sistema Falcón, piano professor at the Simón Bolívar Conservatory of Music (Falcón extension), and faculty member of the National University of the Arts.
URIELIS ARROYO
She is a 26-year-old conductor, born in the city of La Victoria, Aragua State.
She began studying music at the age of 11 in the La Victoria Youth Symphony Orchestra, where she trained as a flutist and orchestra conductor.
At 14, she began studying orchestral conducting with Alfredo Ascanio and continued at age 16 with Maestro Gregory Carreño at the Simón Bolívar Conservatory of Music in Caracas. She is currently a student of Maestro Eduardo Marturet, Honorary Conductor of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela and Music Director of the Miami Symphony Orchestra, as well as of Rubén Capriles, her teacher at the conservatory. She has also participated in multiple masterclasses with maestros such as Jesús Uzcátegui, Pablo Castellanos, Alfredo Rugeles, Andrés David Ascanio, and Diego Naser, among others.
Urielis was one of the conductors of the Guinness World Record “The World’s Largest Orchestra” in 2021 and has participated in international competitions, where she has earned first and second places in the category of “Professional Orchestral Conducting,” bringing pride to Venezuela and El Sistema with a total of 13 medals.
The young conductor also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the Bicentennial University of Aragua, and in 2022 she completed a diploma in Aeronautical Psychology.
Currently, Urielis continues to pursue international competitions and has been named and awarded a scholarship by Maestro Eduardo Marturet as the new MISO Conducting Fellow (Miami Symphony Orchestra) for the 2025/2026 season in Miami, United States.
CRUZ ARGUELLES CONDE
His authority as a conductor is balanced with an elegant presence; he is a calm and kind person, but once he steps onto the podium, he becomes an inspiring and exciting conductor.
—Teresa Hernández Vega
A Venezuelan musician and conductor from Falcón, born in the city of Coro on April 30, 1994. He began his musical studies at the age of 7 within Venezuela’s National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs (El Sistema).
He began his studies in orchestral conducting under the guidance of Maestro Teresa Hernández Vega, who has been a fundamental pillar in his training and growth as a musician. Since then, he has had the opportunity to serve as coach and guest conductor of children’s, youth, and professional orchestras throughout the country.
He has participated in masterclasses led by renowned maestros such as César Iván Lara, Rubén Capriles, Eduardo Marturet, Dick van Gasteren (Netherlands), John Farrer (United States), János Ács (Hungary), and Christophe Talmont (France).
He is currently a faculty member in the Department of Music at the National Experimental University Francisco de Miranda, Leader of the Academic Orchestral Program of El Sistema in Falcón, and Conductor of the Regional Youth Symphony Orchestra of Falcón State.
MARIA DANIELA VILLASMIL
Musician and orchestra conductor from Zulia, she was born in Ciudad Ojeda, Venezuela, on February 8, 1999. She began her musical studies at the age of 11 in the violin program of the Lagunillas El Sistema center in Zulia State.
She started her career as an orchestra conductor at the age of 20, under the mentorship of Maestro Emilio Contreras.
Throughout her musical journey, she has participated in national tours (Caracas) and international tours (Netherlands, Russia, and Mexico) with various orchestras from Zulia, such as the Zulia Chamber Orchestra, the Zulia Symphony Orchestra, the Rafael Urdaneta Regional Youth Symphony, and the Lagunillas Youth and Children’s Symphony Orchestra. She has also worked with and conducted the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela.
She has built a diverse repertoire ranging from Latin American and Venezuelan music to academic works of the highest level, including composers such as Revueltas, Beethoven, Mozart, Elgar, Mahler, Chávez, Márquez, Bernstein, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, Piazzolla, and Carreño.
She has also trained with maestros such as Rubén Cova, Rodolfo Saglimbeni, Eduardo Marturet, Jesús Uzcátegui, Pablo Castellanos, Andrés David Ascanio, and Carlos Salas Ballester.
Currently, she serves as a comprehensive academic music instructor in the violin program of the Lagunillas El Sistemacenter, as well as conductor of the pre-children’s, children’s, and youth orchestras of the Lagunillas center. She is also the assistant conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of the Eastern Coast of Lake Maracaibo, an ensemble with which she is carrying out intensive academic and artistic development work.
EMILIO CONTRERAS
Venezuelan musician and conductor trained within El Sistema. He began his studies in Mérida and went on to perform and collaborate with distinguished conductors and soloists nationally and internationally. At just 12, he joined the Mérida State Symphony Orchestra as a violinist, later expanding his career as a conductor.
He has led numerous youth and professional orchestras across Venezuela, including the Simón Bolívar Symphony, the Carabobo Regional Symphony, and the Rafael Urdaneta Youth Symphony. He has also directed ensembles on international tours in Europe, Russia, Mexico, and the U.S., with notable performances at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Metropol Hotel in Moscow.
In Zulia, he serves as Director of the Lagunillas El Sistema Center, the Eastern Coast of Lake Maracaibo Symphony, and the COL Chamber Orchestra, leading significant productions such as Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.
He was part of the Guinness World Record “World’s Largest Orchestra” in 2021 and in 2022 was appointed Musical Advisor for El Sistema nationwide. In 2023, he graduated from the first class of orchestra conductors at the Simón Bolívar Conservatory of Music. Most recently, he conducted the world premiere of Huáscar Barradas’ Four Elements, winner of the 2023 Latin Grammy for Best Classical Album
CHRISTIAN RICARDO LEAL
Born in Valle de la Pascua, Guárico State, on March 26, 1994, he began his musical studies at the age of 8 at the “Carlos Antonio Montilla Cedeño” El Sistema center, starting with Musical Language and Recorder under the guidance of maestros Jesús Morín and Juan Manuel Morales.
At 11, he began percussion studies with Professor José Daniel González, later continuing at the Simón Bolívar Conservatory of Music with Maestro José Alberto Márquez. In 2009, at age 15, he took his first steps in orchestral conducting with Professor Miguel Sánchez. From then on, thanks to his remarkable talent, he was invited to participate in various training sessions with international maestros, including Thomas Clamor, conductor and trumpet player of the renowned Berlin Philharmonic.
He continued his musical training in El Sistema’s Academic Program with Franka Verhagen, Tupac Rivas, and Violeta Larez, as well as in the orchestral conducting program of the itinerant Conservatory “Inocente Carreño” with Maestro Gregory Carreño. Through El Sistema’s conducting school, he has been an active participant in courses with both national and international maestros such as Christian Vásquez, Jesús Uzcátegui, Pablo Castellanos, Dick van Gasteren, Diego Naser, Christophe Talmont, Christoph Eschenbach, Eduardo Marturet, among others.
In 2012, he was appointed Music Director of the “Carlos Pérez” El Sistema center in El Socorro, Guárico State, and in 2015 he assumed the role of General Director of the same institution. In 2019, he was named Director of the “Carlos Antonio Montilla Cedeño” center—17 years after beginning his musical studies there. Later that year, he was also designated as Leader of the Orchestral Academic Program for Guárico State.
Today, the extensive academic training he has received through El Sistema has allowed him to take on major managerial and musical responsibilities in Venezuela. Highlights of his career include concerts as Music Director with the Francisco de Miranda Symphony Orchestra, the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, the Carabobo Regional Symphony Orchestra, as well as with the “Carlos A. Montilla Cedeño” Youth Orchestra of Valle de la Pascua and the Antonio Estévez Guárico Youth Orchestra, of which he is Artistic and Music Director.
JOSE LUIS ALVARAY SENIOR
José Luis Alvaray began his musical studies as a percussionist at the age of 5 in El Sistema of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela in Barinas. As a percussionist, he has had the opportunity to perform in countries such as Austria, France, Italy, the United States, Germany, Belgium, England, and Spain.
In 2019, he studied percussion at the Colburn School Academy in Los Angeles, CA, where in 2020 he was awarded at the Pacific Foundation competition. He also had the chance to perform with artists such as Colin Hay and Cecilia Nöel, among others.
In 2015, at just 13 years old, he became the youngest conductor to appear at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, when Maestro Gustavo Dudamel passed him the baton.
He has taken masterclasses with national and international conductors such as Eduardo Marturet, Rodolfo Saglimbeni, Diego Naser, Marc Moncusí, Maxim Eshkenazi, Ken Lam, and Víctor Jacob. He has conducted concerts with orchestras including the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, the Lara State Symphony Orchestra, the Portuguesa Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Guanare Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Barinas Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Venezuelan National Children’s Symphony Orchestra.
He also took part in the opera Fidelio as production assistant under the baton of Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, with stage direction by Maestro Alberto Arvelo Torrealba, alongside the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, the Simón Bolívar Choir, and the White Hands Choir.
OMAR CHACON
A musician from Táchira, he began his musical journey at the age of ten in El Sistema at the San Juan de Colón center. His principal instrument is the violin, through which he developed his orchestral practice in the different programs of El Sistema. He later joined the regional Ríos Reyna Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Guillermo Moreno, with whom he also began his studies in orchestral conducting, leading the same orchestra.
He has taken the baton to conduct a wide range of works from the universal academic repertoire, spanning chamber music, opera, and symphonic-choral genres, performing works by renowned composers such as Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Shostakovich, Schubert, Smetana, Bizet, Puccini, Verdi, Donizetti, among many others.
Currently, he is an instructor and conductor of the Luis Gilberto Mendoza Symphony Orchestra in San Cristóbal, while continuing his orchestral conducting studies through various courses with maestros including Elisa Vega, Ramón Andrés Moncada, and Eduardo Marturet.
JHINAIT D’HOY ARENAS
Originally from Barinas and currently based in Barquisimeto, Lara State.
She began her musical studies at the age of 15 at the Sarare El Sistema center in Simón Planas Municipality, under the direction of Professor Freddy Silva. She later entered the Vicente Emilio Sojo Conservatory of Music, studying cello with Maestro Javier Peraza.
At 16, she was admitted to the Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado (UCLA), where she pursued her professional musical training and graduated with honors with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music, specializing in Orchestral Conducting.
Throughout her career, she has studied with national and international maestros including Tarcisio Barreto, Jesús Uzcátegui, Christian Vázquez, Joshua Dos Santos, Marc Moncusí, Diego Naser, János Ács, Tomàs Grau, Christophe Talmont, Eduardo Marturet, among others.
She is currently the founder and Conductor of the Proyecto Santa Cecilia Orchestra, and also serves as professor of the Orchestral Conducting Department at UCLA.
Since 2022, she has been part of the National Orchestral Conducting Program “Maestro José Antonio Abreu” under the mentorship of Maestro Pablo Castellanos. This has given her the opportunity to conduct and collaborate with ensembles such as the Juan José Landaeta Symphony Orchestra, the Chacao Symphony Orchestra, the Caracas Youth Orchestra, and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela.
Naileth Alejandra Castro Chirinos
(Cabimas, May 17, 2000)
Venezuelan violinist and orchestra conductor, currently State Manager of Amazonas and Music Director of the Amazonas Regional Symphony Orchestra. She was also the conductor of the historic concert that achieved the Guinness World Record as “The World’s Largest Orchestra.”
She began her musical training at the age of 12 as a violinist in El Sistema in Puerto Ayacucho, Amazonas State. At 15, she had her first experience as a conductor, leading the Amazonas Youth and Children’s Orchestra during the 2015 national tour of the Venezuelan National Children’s Symphony Orchestra.
In 2018, she began her formal conducting studies with Maestro Dick van Gasteren and later continued under the mentorship of Maestro Jesús Uzcátegui. She has also participated in masterclasses with renowned conductors such as Eduardo Marturet, Diego Naser, János Ács, Christophe Talmont, Gaëtan Kuchta, and Christoph Eschenbach, among others.
In 2019, she was appointed State Manager of the Simón Bolívar Musical Foundation – El Sistema, becoming the youngest person to ever hold this position in Amazonas. Since then, she has taken on important challenges as both conductor and cultural leader, conducting prominent ensembles such as the Juan José Landaeta Symphony Orchestra, the Francisco de Miranda Symphony Orchestra, and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela.
She is currently refining her technique and artistic vision as a student of Maestro Pablo Castellanos and an active member of the José Antonio Abreu School of Orchestral Conducting.