From The Leaders desk

ANDRÉS GUZMÁN, A COLOMBIAN TROMBONIST BASED IN CHICAGO, HAS ACHIEVED INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION AS A LATIN GRAMMY-WINNING ARTIST. HIS CAREER ENCOMPASSES SYMPHONIC, OPERATIC, EARLY MUSIC, AND EDUCATIONAL ENDEAVORS.

IN THE SYMPHONIC AND OPERATIC REALMS, GUZMÁN HAS COLLABORATED WITH ESTEEMED INSTITUTIONS AND RENOWNED ARTISTS.

HE HAS PERFORMED WITH THE ORCHESTRA SAN ANTONIO, THE SOUTH DAKOTA SYMPHONY, AND SERVES AS AN ASSOCIATE MEMBER OF THE CIVIC ORCHESTRA OF CHICAGO. AS AN ACTIVE TROMBONIST WITH OPERA SAN ANTONIO, HE HAS PARTICIPATED IN SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTIONS SUCH AS ROMEO AND JULIET, THE MAGIC FLUTE, AND PAGLIACCI. IN 2019, HE RECEIVED THE LATIN GRAMMY AWARD FOR BEST CLASSICAL ALBUM FOR HIS WORK WITH THE NUEVA FILARMONÍA. HE HAS ALSO COLLABORATED WITH THE ORCHESTRA OF THE AMERICAS, PERFORMING IN PROJECTS FEATURING SOLOISTS Yo-YO MA AND KAYHAN KALHOR. IN 2023, HEJOINED ANDREA BOCELLIS U.S. TOUR WITH THE ORCHESTRA SAN ANTONIO.

AS A SPECIALIST IN EARLY MUSIC, GUZMÁN IS A PIONEER IN REVIVING THE SACKBUT IN COLOMBIA AND A FOUNDING MEMBER OF MINISTRILES DEL NUEVO REINO DE GRANADA. WITH THIS ENSEMBLE, HE HAS PERFORMED AT LEADING EARLY AND SACRED MUSIC FESTIVALS IN LATIN AMERICA. IN THE UNITED STATES, HE IS A MEMBER OF THE NEWBERRY CONSORT, JOINING A SELECT GROUP OF MUSICIANS DEDICATED TO HISTORICALLY INFORMED SACKBUT PERFORMANCE.

GUZMÁN HOLDS DEGREES FROM THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF COLOMBIA, THE UNIVERSITY OF BUENOS AIRES, AND ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY IN CHICAGO. BEYOND HIS PERFORMING CAREER, HE IS A DEDICATED EDUCATOR, INSPIRING NEW GENERATIONS THROUGH A TEACHING PHILOSOPHY THAT INTEGRATES TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE, RESEARCH, AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION.

ANDRES HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF TRABUCO SALSA BAND FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS, TAKING PART IN THE BANDS FIRST SINGLE

"QUIBRO VERTE, ARRANGED BY GRAMMY AWARD MUSICIAN PABLO"CHINO" NUNEZ AND WRITTEN BY JOSE E. REYES JR.

A native of Costa Rica, Edgar Campos performs with the Chicago Sinfonietta and for the Joffrey Ballet, and was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Mr. Campos has performed with a variety of orchestras in the area, including the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Elgin Symphony, and American Ballet Theatre. Outside of the United States, he has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, the Sinfonica Nacional de Uruguay (SODRE), and the World Youth Symphony; as a soloist, he has performed with the Plotz Symphony (Poland).

Mr. Campos received his Master of Music Degree from Roosevelt University, and his bachelor's degree from Conservatoire de Musique de Quebec. His trumpet teachers include Adolph Herseth of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), Marc Ridenour (CSO), Channing Philbrick (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Jean Louis Chatel (Montreal Symphony), and Robert Platt (Berlin Philharmonic).

Mr. Campos has received various awards, including second prize at the Cliff Dwellers Arts Foundation's annual competition, third prize at the National Canadian Music Competition, and finalist in the International Brass Quintet Competition in Narbon, France.

As an educator, Mr. Campos works for the Sinfonietta's Audience Matters and SEED programs, the Chicago High School for the Arts, the Music Institute of Chicago ("Brass for Beginners"), and the University of Chicago.

In 2011-13, Mr. Campos taught masterclasses at the Warsaw Conservatory "Joseph Elsner" (Warsaw, Poland), the Music School in Plotz (Plotz, Poland), and the Universidad de Montevideo (Montevideo, Uruguay). Recently Mr. Campos became a member of the Trabuco Salsa Band playing concerts throughout the state of Illinois.

HERIBERTO "BERTO" MARTINEZ JR.- BORN AUGUST 1965 IN CHICAGO ILLINOIS, MY MUSICAL INFLUENCES ARE WILLIE ROSARIO, SONORA PONCENA, OSCAR D'LEON, FANIA ALL STARS, BOBBY VALENTINE. I'VE PLAYED WITH GROUPS LIKE COMBO SABOR, LA NUEVA DIMENSION, ORO. SABOR, ORQ. ARABU, GRUPO FUEGO, I HAVE SHARED THE STAGE WITH ARTIST LIKE TiTo ALLEN, JoHNNY RIveRa, DAVID PABON, LEFTY PEREZ, CHOCO ORTA, TOMMY OLIVENCIA, OSCAR D'LEON, GRAN COMBO, I HAVE BEEN IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY SINCE I WAS SEVEN YEARS OLD. MY INSPIRATION WAS MY FATHER WHO WAS A TRUMPET PLAYER AND MY UNCLE'S THAT WERE PERCUSSIONIST. LAM A PERCUSSIONIST, BASS PLAYER AND TRUMPET PLAYER. Now A MEMBER OF TRABUCO SALSA BAND, I LOOK FORWARD TO NEW CONCERTS AND MUSICAL OPPORTUNITIES.

My musical journey commenced in the early 1970s as a church musician. Performing live music consistently captivated my interest, and I derived immense pleasure from it. During the early 1980s, through the city youth program, I joined the Puerto Rican Congress Conservatory of Arts and Music. There, I immersed myself in various fine arts disciplines, including mural painting, oil painting, folkloric dancing in Puerto Rican cultural dances, sound engineering, and music instrumentation.

Initially, I developed a profound affinity for the bass guitar, which I pursued as my primary instrument. For several years, I dedicated myself to playing bass in various musical ensembles.

As a musician, I have had the privilege of performing at numerous venues, such as Taste Of Chicago, Chicago Fest, Kool Jazz Festival, and numerous community festivals, parades, and events. Notably, I represented Puerto Rico in the Pam American Olympics with Tipica Leal 79.

Furthermore, we were fortunate to be the recipients of the (Coors Climb Up Contest) and were declared national champions.

The city of Chicago honored us with an honorary day in our name for our representation of the city and our victory in the contest.

In addition, we formed a small Latin Jazz group that performed three to five times a week throughout the city, at clubs, restaurants, the John Hancock Center, and various city events. Music remained a constant source of employment and entertainment for us.

Eventually, I transitioned from playing bass to singing. I began singing and performing as a lead and backup chorus member, which became my true passion in Salsa music.

I have had the opportunity to collaborate with several Salsa bands in Chicago and with some of our members in Trabuco, participating in various groups, backing up artists, touring, and performing shows. Before joining the Marines, I served for four years in the Marines Reserves. During this time, I continued playing music and eventually retired from the industry to pursue a career as a professional truck driver.

As a driver trainer, I have dedicated over 30 years to training numerous drivers for my companies. I have led the company’s safety and driver training programs and courses, as well as nationwide safety seminars.

In 2023, a truck accident necessitated my early retirement. However, I am now fulfilling my passion for music once again.

Which involves singing salsa music with my music brothers and friends.

I retired from music to pursue a career in truck driving, and now I am retiring from truck driving to return to music.

Thanks to Trabuco, I have been given a second chance in life and music once again.

Juan Daniel Chávez (born September 15, 1993, in Guadalajara, Mexico) is a Mexican-American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist recording artist, composer, educator, and co-founder of PCCCArts (established in 2020), a non-profit arts organization dedicated to bridging the opportunity gap in low- to moderate-income communities by providing enhanced access to the arts for youth and adults. With 16 years of experience in the entertainment industry, his formal career spans nearly eight years working with musicians and artists from diverse backgrounds and genres.

Growing up in Coos Bay, Oregon, Daniel developed a passion for 1980s Regional Mexicano and popular Latin music by artists such as Selena, Grupos Norteños, and Bandas. He meticulously burned his parents and uncles’ cassette tapes onto CDs to accommodate the evolving music consumption landscape. At the age of ten, he acquired the clarinet, trumpet, and saxophone, aspiring to perform in a Mexican banda. After school, Daniel joined the Oregon Coast Lab Band, a local non-profit organization dedicated to preserving jazz, America’s musical heritage through education and performance. During his tenure with the Lab Band, he collaborated with renowned artists like Mic Gillette, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and Bria Skonberg.

Throughout high school, Daniel continued to hone his skills by learning, recording, and touring across the West Coast with the Lab Band, gaining invaluable industry experience. Daniel graduated from high school with honors and received a full-ride scholarship to attend the Oregon Center for the Arts (OCA) at Southern Oregon University (SOU). There, he pursued his music studies under the guidance of esteemed mentors, including Rhett Bender, Jeff Richmond, Terry Longshore, Cindy Hutton, Alexander Tutunov, and Tony Hayes. During his tenure at OCA, Daniel contributed to the development of jazz and pep band programs, provided student teaching opportunities, participated in and composed for various collegiate ensembles, and participated in a foreign exchange program to South Korea.

Outside of his academic pursuits, Daniel assumed leadership roles and collaborated with renowned artists, including Morgan James, as a member of the Britt Festival Orchestra. His contributions to the orchestra extended to the world premiere of “Natural History - Symphony for Nature” on PBS.

Upon graduation in 2016 with honors, Daniel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education, specializing in classical music and saxophone performance.

Following his graduation, Daniel embarked on a musical journey by recording his debut album as a leader, titled “Chillin’ with the Daniel Chavez Quartet,” at Oregon Sound Recording. This five-song album showcases Daniel’s virtuosity on tenor saxophone, accompanied by collegiate friends Brandon Crafts on guitar, Garrett Baxter on bass, Jake Riggs on drums, and Tony Hayes on tenor saxophone.

Daniel’s career took a significant turn when he signed with Lime Entertainment, an agency that secured his bookings for performances and entertainment on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Lines. As a member of Lime Entertainment, Daniel provided musical support to comedians, dancers, and renowned artists, including the iconic Deborah Cox of the 1990s.

Throughout his tenure with Lime Entertainment, Daniel performed on seven cruise ships across various fleets and traveled to over 30 countries, forging connections with individuals from over 100 nations.

After two and a half years of extensive sea travel, Daniel sought a more grounded lifestyle and a closer connection with his family. He briefly relocated to Los Angeles, where he quickly realized that he was seeking a different path. In the fall of 2018, Daniel embarked on a trip to Chicago, where he was captivated by the city’s vibrant atmosphere and has since established his roots there. Currently, he resides in the Pilsen neighborhood with his wife, Katrise.

Daniel collaborates as a leader and a side man with a diverse array of artists across various genres, including Regional Mexicano, Blues, Jazz, Latin, Pop, Hip Hop, and Soul, reflecting Chicago’s vibrant music scene. He has recorded, written, and performed with renowned artists such as Katie Kadan, Lester Rey & Purple Tokyo, Marca MP with Banda Estrategia, and Herman Olivera & Willy Garcia with the GFC International Big Band. Notably, Daniel frequently performs with the Alan Gresik Swing Orchestra, Rosalba Valdez, Luis Alfredo, Joaquin Garcia, and Clif Wallace.

As a community leader and organizer, Daniel serves as the co-founder, executive director, and mentor at The People’s Center for Cultural & Contemporary Arts. This non-profit arts organization provides art and STEAM opportunities to students in under-resourced communities across Chicago by collaborating with schools and community-focused organizations. Their mission is to empower students with essential and adaptable creative skills, enabling them to overcome challenges, seize future opportunities, and establish lifelong community connections. Daniel firmly believes that the arts serve as a powerful vehicle for celebrating diversity and fostering inclusion, creating sustainable connections to community and networks that offer greater opportunities.