Lali Mejía
- Percussion, Vocals
A native of Maracaibo, Venezuela, she started her musical training at the age on nine at the “Colegio Bellas Artes” in Maracaibo. As a 5th grader, she was taught how to read music and play the recorder, advancing into Cuatro studies and the school's choir during early high school. At the age of 12 she began classical guitar lessons for several years before moving to the United States to pursue a BFA degree in Graphic Design.
Lali Mejia specializes primarily in the Afro-Venezuelan Folklore as well as other Latin American styles of music. She is a permanent band member of the Venezuelan Music Project (Venezuelan Folk music) and The VNote Ensemble (a fusion of jazz and Venezuelan music) and has shared the stage with prominent musicians such as Marco Granados and Un Mundo Ensemble, Aquiles Baez, Jorge Glem, Jackeline Rago, Roberto Koch, Maria Volonté, Akira Tana and Francisco “Pacho” Flores.
Since 2004, Lali has helped facilitate numerous Afro-Venezuelan workshops around the United States and internationally, and she is a guest instructor at the “Born to Drum” camp in Northern California.
Additionally, Lali has participated in numerous music festivals around the U.S, the Caribbean, China and Japan, and performed in venues such as the Tokyo Hakuyu Hall, Macau International Music Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, San Francisco Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Moab Music Festival, California World Music Fest, Venezuelan Sounds at the Smithsonian Institute and the Yerba Buena Gardens Music Festival.
