Singer Marta Topferova and guitarist Ernesto Chuecos’ duo is dedicated to the rich tradition of Venezuelan songs. Their repertoire consists of rhythms and styles such as Venezuelan merengue, joropo, vals, danza or tonada. Marta’s unique velvet voice with her own accompaniment on the Venezuelan cuatro, hand percussion along with Ernesto’s sophisticated guitar arrangements create a combination that truly brings listeners into a distinct musical landscape. From the joyous and humorous merengue from Caracas, brisk joropo from the wide plains, to a meditative tonada, traditionally sung during cattle milking, Venezuelan melodies and rhythms are as varied as the country from which they hail.

“Reencuentros” (which literally means reencounters) is the duo’s first album, which was born out of an enduring friendship and an ever-growing enthusiasm for Venezuelan music. Marta and Ernesto met in Prague in 1994, where similar musical interests and mutual friends naturally propelled them to share musical ideas. However, Marta returned to the United States at the time, Ernesto stayed in Prague and therefore they didn’t see each other for a long time. When Marta returned to the Czech Republic in 2012, Marta and Ernesto reunited, and about a year later, began working on a repertoire of Venezuelan songs. The name “Reencuentros” symbolizes their “reencounter”.

was born in Ostrava, Czech Republic, but due to her immigration to the United States in 1987, her fate was forever marked by her search for new meaning in a country full of immigrants and music from different parts of the world. In the U.S., Marta had the opportunity to study and collaborate with the most prominent musicians from Latin America. Marta established herself on the New York music scene and is now internationally recognized as one of the leading proponents of world music.

To date, she has released eight albums of mostly original music: Reencuentros (2016 Senderos), Milokraj (2013 Animal Music), The Other Shore (2011 World Village), Trova (2009 World Village), Flor Nocturna (2006 World Village), La Marea (2005 World Village), Sueño Verde (2003 Circular Moves), and Homage to Homeland (2002 self-produced). Marta has toured Europe, USA, Canada, Argentina and Thailand, appearing at major venues such as Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, the Blue Note in New York or Bardentreffen Festival in Nuremberg.

www.martatopferova.com

was born in Caracas, Venezuela, where he began playing the traditional Venezuelan instrument called the “cuatro” at the age of seven and classical guitar at the age of ten. He studied with Fredy Reyna, Aldo Lagrutt, Cesar Garcia, Romulo Lazarde, Darío González and Luis Zey. He’s lived in Prague since 1994, where he studied classical guitar with Štěpán Rak and Milan Zelenka at the Music Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (HAMU). He also played bossa-nova with Yvonne Sanchez and now dedicates himself primarily to arranging Venezuelan songs. “