The Band

The VMP members are:


The Venezuelan Music Project (a.k.a. VMP) was founded in 1997 by musical director Jackeline Rago, to share the sounds and cultural traditions of Venezuela in the San Francisco Bay Area and the continental United States.

Combining the Indigenous-Venezuelan, West African and Spanish-European influences, this project emerges as a dynamic ensemble full of vitality, energy and color. As one of the only groups in the Bay Area performing Venezuelan music it has the pleasure of presenting an engaging, entertaining, and highly memorable show.

VMP performs a wide range of music—from folklore-driven songs (executed with traditional instruments) to more contemporary urban dance compositions (complemented by the addition of the electric bass, flute, and saxophone).

Among the many styles showcased, the group performs Calypso del Callao, Parrandas, Tamboreras, Sangueos, Golpes de Tambor, Tonadas de Quitiplás, Tambor Redondo, Gaitas, Joropos, Merengues, Fulías and spiritual chants inspired by the daily life of the Venezuelan countryside.

On Stage, VMP uses an array of traditional folk instruments, most of them originals from Venezuela. Several ingredients fuse together to create the group's energetic and distinctive sound. Yet the magic of the ensemble would not be possible without its rich vocals and the presence of the unique “Cuatro”, Venezuela's national instrument.

The Cuatro is a small guitar born in the early 1700’s, originally referred to as “Guitarrilla Renacentista” (Little Renaissance Guitar) in the Andalucian area of Spain. Today, the Cuatro is a key instrument which is present in almost all styles of music in Venezuela. Given its harmonic and percussive nature, this four-stringed instrument delivers a tremendous amount of personality and distinctiveness to VMP's sound.