Selected Artists

Catatumbo Percussion Trio Currently based in Venezuela, Catatumbo Percussion Trio is a musical group that belongs to the organizational structure of the Catatumbo Percussion Ensemble and is made up of its members, all members of El Sistema.

It was created exclusively to participate in the International Trios Percussion Competition of Luxembourg 2022. Its members Jose Alejandro Garcia (musical director), Yuth Canizalez and Naybeth Mora - are members of the Catatumbo Percussion Ensemble and the Catatumbo Marimba Quartet. With these groups they have had the honor of being recognized in multiple international music competitions, mostly with first places within their categories.

Since its creation, the Catatumbo Percussion Ensemble has prioritized being a multiplier of knowledge through each of its members. Together with the Percussion School, its members have given talks and master classes to children and young people who are part of El Sistema in the metropolitan area of Caracas. Today, two of its members are part of the faculty of the El Sistema School of Percussion and, in turn, its director serves as a member of the governing committee of that entity. In 2019, the Catatumbo Percussion Ensemble won first place in two international music competitions (at the "Belgrade International Music Competition" in Serbia and "The Muse" International Music Competition" in Greece).

This became a historical fact for percussion in Venezuela since never before had a group of this format obtained any recognition in musical competitions worldwide. Then, in 2020, the ensemble also took first place in the chamber music category of the 2020 French Music Competition and earned a place in the final of the Cadenza Music Competition, placing in the top 18 entrants. . out of a total of more than 500 applicants.

On the other hand, the members of the Catatumbo percussion trio are part of the percussion sections of the most important orchestras in Venezuela: Jose Alejandro Garcia stands out as principal percussionist of the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, of which the maestro Gustavo Dudamel and of which Yuth Canizalez is also a part. For his part, Naybeth Mora holds the position of Deputy Director of the percussion section of the Juan Jose´ Landaeta Symphony Orchestra.

Undoubtedly, the most important recognitions obtained by the members of the Catatumbo Trio have been the second place in the chamber music category of the Universal Marimba Competition of Belgium 2021. In this contest, held in July of that year, the members of El trio -then participating in the chamber music category as the Catatumbo Marimba Quartet- stood out for its rich repertoire full of contrasts and with an important representation of contemporary and popular Venezuelan music.

Ben is a percussionist, electronic musician, audio engineer, and educator from Buffalo, New York. He has been a clinician, speaker and soloist for the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, TEDx Talks, The soundSCAPE International Festival, The Hiroshima Junior Marimba Festival, and many more. Ben has had the pleasure of performing throughout multiple continents, and recording with artists such as Keiko Abe, So¯ Percussion, Karolyn Stonefelt, Natasha Farny, Bora Yoon, and Bernard Woma. He currently holds the timpani position for the Perrysburg Symphony, and a percussion position for the Warren Symphony. Ben also plays in Bag of Wolves, a percussion and oboe duo devoted to new works.

Dagfinn Theodor Ingebrigtsen Holte is Norwegian percussionist, currently studying a master’s degree in classic percussion at the Norwegian Academy of Music, Oslo. His teacher is Jennifer Torrence & Kjell Tore Innervik. He gained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Stavanger, Faculty of performing arts. Where his teacher where Bastien Riquebourg, Håkon Kartveit and Bjørn Løken. He remarked himself as a chamber musician, by creating a performance for 3 dancers and 2 percussionists for the Stavanger International Chamber music festival in 2019. He has also won 1st prize at the UiS chamber music competition. He took his military service with the Norwegian Naval force band. He has also played with orchestras such as Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, NKH Junior Orchestra Japan, Bergen Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and The Norwegian National Youth. In 2018 Dagfinn Theodor received a scholarship from the Scandinavian-Sasakawa Foundation to study Japanese percussion music at Aichi university of Arts in Japan.

David Fernandez is a percussionist born in Caracas. Starts his studies at a very early age in El Sistema, Venezuela.

Elias Gustafsson is described by his colleagues as one of Swedens most musical young percussionists. He has a passion for reaching new audiences and venues, and for inspiring the general populace to engage more in music and live performances. On stage, his quite theatrical style appeals to new and old music enjoyers alike and lets you get fully entranced by the music. Elias has been Semifinalist in Solispriset and the Universal Marimba Competition, a consistent high-ranking receiver of Kungliga Musikaliska Akademins Scholarships, as well as the winner of Italy Pas Web Contest 2020.

"I play music to make the world a more compassionate place. Because I believe that the true power of music is the chance to cooperate with others to create something larger than ourselves, for others."

As a chamber musician, Elias loves to perform new music and mix art forms. He is convinced that the chamber music of the future needs to explore more media and cater to more senses to continue to grow as an art form. With different groups, Elias has made over 30 premiere performances.

Elias has studied for Daniel Berg, Anders Åstrand, Johan Bridger, Fredrik Duvling, Joakim Anterot, Heigo Roisin, Vambola Krigul, Søren Monrad, Niklas Larsson, and Paul Goobar. He has been educated at Örebro Universitet, Kungliga Musikhögskolan in Stockholm, Syddansk Musikkonservatoriet, Estonian Academy of Music, and Ljungskile Folkhögskola..

Graham Viegut is a burgeoning performer and educator whose art is driven by the insatiable curiosities of sound. At home in many different musical environments, he has performed across the United States, including premiering new percussion music at the Bang on a Can LOUD Weekend in Massachusetts, playing chamber music in Los Angelos, and playing with regional orchestras and musicals in North Texas. Having knowledge of countless percussion idioms, Graham leaves no stone unturned in his quest to perfect the music he plays. Recent projects include creating an immersive and multimedia contemporary percussion recital, traveling to Indonesia to study Balinese Gong Kebyar, gigging on everything from classical percussion to steel pan, and working with composers to premier new mixed chamber works.

Pursuing a BM in Percussion Performance at the University of North Texas, Graham performs with the esteemed North Texas Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, and a variety of world percussion and contemporary music ensembles. Guided by studies with almost every percussionist on the diverse faculty at North Texas, Graham has developed an amazing array of skillsets and learned how to combine normally stratified percussive techniques into a unique, holistic approach to the art of music-making. In addition to performing around campus, Graham is an active arranger and creative, having had his arrangements played by the 2:00 Steel Band, South Indian Cross Cultural Ensemble, Gamelan, Basketball Pep Band, and in student recitals.

As an educator, Graham believes in the power music holds to inspire students in all areas of their lives. He has taught drumlines, given guest clinics, and judged competitions in DFW high schools, working with students in a process led by mutual curiosity and exploration. He often exposes young students to art and music far beyond the normal academic box and shares the techniques and knowledge necessary for the students to be successful at ambitious endeavors.

I-Cheng Che is a percussionist from Macao, China. She started learning drumset at the age of 12 and percussion at the age of 14. With her undying love for percussion and the arts, I-Cheng’s passion for learning and exploring her craft is eternal. She loves percussion ensemble and chamber music. With the amount of commitment she shows on stage, it is her mission to share music and percussion to the public eye.

As an orchestral player, I-Cheng is currently a percussion member of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. Previously, she joined the Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra Association from 2011-2017, where she participated in many concerts and tours in China, Italy and Australia. She was featured as a marimba soloist with the Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra in 2016.

I-Cheng has participated in percussion competitions at different places. In 2021, she won the Concerto Aria Competition at Wichita State University. In the 2014, 32nd Macao Young Musicians Competition, she received the second prize in solo percussion (advanced level), champion of the percussion ensemble and Best Ensemble Performance Prize.

I-Cheng is pursuing a master’s degree in percussion performance at Wichita State University where she studies with Gerald Scholl and jazz drumset with Steve Hatfield. She received her bachelor’s degree in percussion performance from the University of North Texas where she studied with Mark Ford, Christopher Deane, and Paul Rennick. During her time at UNT, she learned and explored Classical, Jazz, Brazilian, Cuban, Indian and African music styles under several professors such as Stockton Helbing, Jose´ Aponte, and Poovalur Sriji and Gideon F. Alorwoyie.