Venezuelan Music Project
Venezuelan folk music
The Venezuelan Music Project (VMP) was founded in 1997 to share the sounds and cultural traditions of Venezuela throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and the continental United States. Combining the indigenous Venezuelan, West African and Spanish influences, VMP emerges as a dynamic ensemble full of vitality, energy, and color. Eight of the nine-member ensemble were born and raised in Venezuela. Led by Jackeline Rago, it is one of the only groups in the Bay Area performing Venezuelan music.
In 2009, as a grantee in ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program, VMP received a grant to support the completion of an audio CD began in 2007 which will provide a reference tool for audiences participating in lecture-performances, workshops, and concerts. It will also enhance the professional development of the band by updating VMP’s promotional package and providing income to enhance the musical group’s outreach.