Mirecourt, France – August 2016 On August 22, 2016, a conference was held in Mirecourt, France, dedicated to the development of El Libro Real de Venezuela. The event took place during the annual Venezuelan music workshop (“Stage”) organized by composer and musician Cristóbal Soto. The project was presented to an audience of students and faculty, […]
The team that helped me complete El Libro Rea (Volumes 1 and 2), in its first edition in 2017, worked tirelessly for seven months—including weekends—from 7:00 a.m. until as late as 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. in order to meet our projected deadline. This intense effort began in November 2016 and continued without pause until July […]
2007–2018. Composer Henry Martínez has been a vital guide for El Libro Real. The musical experience of Henry Martínez—composer of songs such as Sentida canción, Dos Carlos, El afinador de gallos, among many others—is immense and invaluable. Henry played with Luis Laguna in the group Venezuela 4 and was influenced in his youth by that […]
During the review of El Libro Real, composer José “Pollo” Sifontes visited us twice to revise my transcriptions of his music and offer ideas.Known for works such as Anhelante, Ciudad Bolívar, and the playful Cumpleaños venezolano, Sifontes began composing at a very young age and has written many pieces in various styles.He helped us clarify […]
2016, 2017 In March 2016, the composer Omar García visited me for the first time to review hispieces. Omar García Ruiz composed the merengue El Rezongón in 1989, dedicated to the flutist from El Cuarteto, Toñito Naranjo. The piece was recorded on an El Cuarteto album and became very popular. The merengue had been transcribed […]
We saw the El Nacional report about the conditions in schools in Turgua and took action. Now it’s up to all of us to do our part and make a difference! Thank you! You can read all the details of the campaign (and donate!) at this link:GoFundMe.com/Turgua
2008, 2009, Visit to Capacho, Táchira State In 2009, I made my second trip to the town of Capacho, in Táchira State, to visit the composer Pablo Montoya. I had gone there in 2008 and recorded the composer playing many of his pieces, accompanied by his family. This second trip was to record the rest […]
Trujillo State, 2018 In February 2018, I visited the composer Pablo Camacaro in Trujillo State to collect music from the region and review some of his pieces. He introduced me to Luis Orlando Briceño and Alfonso Rodríguez, excellent composers from Trujillo with whom I had the pleasure of spending time. Some of their pieces will […]
2009, 2010, 2011 I had the pleasure of seeing Cruz Felipe several times. This was the first, at his home in La Guaira, Vargas State, in April 2009. Cecilia Todd and I went to visit him, and I took the opportunity to show him some of my transcription work of his pieces and he gave […]
News on Mark Brown’s Current Work From October 2017 to the present (November 2018), Mark Brown has been revising the first two volumes of The Royal Book to improve the material for the second edition. Due to the length of time it has taken to complete The Royal Book, technological issues have arisen that have […]