Rumbarroco is an ensemble of acclaimed musicians from different countries and backgrounds, brought together by common interests. We recreate, preserve, and popularize diverse multicultural aspects of the rhythmic and harmonic interconnectivity that has persisted in and transformed Ibero-American music, from the Medieval period to today. In our performances we combine music from the past and present, including Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical compositions from Europe and America, along with Latin American folkloric and contemporary works, in order to create a vibrant Latin-Baroque musical fusion. Our founder-leader Laury Gutiérrez is a Brandeis University resident scholar and a Radcliffe Institute/Harvard university fellow.
Soprano Adriana Ruiz studied voice and choral conducting at the Conservatorio Esteban Salas in Santiago de Cuba. Adriana was part of Orfeón Santiago directed by Electo Silva, recording as soloist and lead soprano, as well as touring Europe and the Caribbean. In 2018, she was named an Early Music America Emerging Artist, to represent “the best of the emerging early music talent from a large pool of applicants.” She then performed in the Emerging Artist Showcase at the prestigious Bloomington Early Music Festival. She recently appeared as soloist and ensemble member with the award-winning Apollo’s Fire in New York, Cleveland, and Chicago, gave a recital of Spanish Renaissance songs with guitarist Jason Yoshida on the new Vocal Artist Management Virtual Recital Series, and performed at the Bach at Noon series of the Bach Collegium San Diego. Adriana holds a master’s degree in Historical Performance at Boston University.
Mezzo-soprano Daniela Tosic, praised for her “burnished and warm sound” (Boston Musical Intelligencer) and “dark, lustrous voice” (Boston Classical Review), is a soloist and a chamber musician who specializes in early, contemporary, and world music repertories. She has performed in concerts throughout the U.S., Europe, and South America. Daniela is a founding member of the internationally renowned vocal ensemble Tapestry, winners of the Echo Klassik and Chamber Music America Recording of the Year awards. The trademark of the ensemble is combining medieval repertory and contemporary compositions in bold, conceptual programming. Tapestry has premiered numerous contemporary pieces, including Steve Reich’s Tehillim with the Colorado Symphony and Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, conducted by Marin Alsop. Daniela appears regularly with La Donna Musicale, an ensemble that focuses on women composers’ repertory, Rumbarroco (Latin-Baroque), and Syldason, a marimba-voice duo. Daniela recorded for Telarc, MDG, Kalan, Boston Revels, and several independent labels.
Fausto Miro, praised by the Boston Musical Intelligencer for his “clear, powerful burnished tenor, resonant and easy even in the highest reaches of his voice,” the lyric tenor Fausto Miro is known for his “thrilling dramatic impact” (South Florida Sun Sentinel) on the stages of some of the country’s leading ensembles. This includes the New York Opera Studio, Boston Opera Collective, Opera Tampa, St. Petersburg Opera Company, The Florida Orchestra, Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, and the Opera Festival of San Luis Potosi, where he succeeded as a finalist in the Linus Lerner International Vocal Competition. A resident of Boston, Mr. Miro performs throughout New England as a featured soloist in collaboration with Emmanuel Music, Central Reform Temple of Boston, Renaissance Men, Cappella Clausura, The Copley Singers, Labyrinth Choir, Polymnia Choral Society, The Old North Marblehead Festival Chorus, and Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra.
Danilo Bonina earned his Bachelor in violin from the F. Torrefranca Conservatory in Vibo Valentia (Italy). Winner of the “Venetico”, “Pedara”, and “Pizzo Calabro” International Competitions, he made his solo debut in 1996. He received his Master of Music degree from the Mannes College of Music in New York where he studied with Nina Beilina. He later obtained his Graduate Performance Diploma in Historical Performance from the Longy School of Music under the guidance of Dana Maiben. He is the founder of the Ars Vetus and Corelli Collective historical ensembles. He has performed in Master Classes given by Jamie Laredo, Rachel Podger, Elizabeth Blumenstock, Phoebe Carrai, Aisslinn Nosky, and others. Active on both baroque and modern violin, he has toured Europe, USA, and Asia with orchestras such as Bacchanalia Festival Orchestra, Ars Lyrica Houston, Ensemble du Monde, Eudaimonia, Oriana Consort, Shanghai Camerata, and many others. He has worked with conductors such as Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Masaaki Suzuki, Otto Werner Mueller, JoAnn Falletta, Nicholas McGegan, Peter Maag, Andrew Megill, Murray Forbes Somerville, and others. In high demand as a pedagogue, he is currently a member of the faculty at the Longy School of Music of Bard College.
Eduardo Betancourt, considered “one of the iconic harpists of this new age,” is a Venezuelan musician, producer, arranger, composer, instructor, and multi-instrumentalist, with 30 years of experience in traditional music, Venezuelan fusion music, and Latin jazz. In 2010, he won a Latin Grammy Award for his participation on the album Tesoros de la música Venezolana by Ilan Chester, and in 2016, he was nominated for the album Pa’ Tío Simón with Rafael “Pollo” Brito. He has also recorded with renowned international artists such as Simon Diaz, Oscar D León, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Danny Rivera, and Luis Salinas. Currently, Betancourt performs with the Latin jazz group Venezuelan Project. Under the name EduardoProject, he gives workshops and master classes around the world. Eduardo plays on Electric Llanera and Camac EC harps (the design and construction of which he supervises for the French harp company Les Harpes Camac).
Founding Director Laury Gutiérrez was born in Venezuela. Gutiérrez received the Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho, Venezuela’s most prestigious scholarship for study abroad, and graduated with honors in music from the College of St. Scholastica in Minnesota. She has done graduate work in music at Longy School of Music, Indiana University, and Boston University. She was a 2009 Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. Currently, Gutiérrez is an affiliate scholar at the Women’s Studies Research Center, Brandeis University. Praised as “a first-rate instrumentalist” (Boston Globe), Gutiérrez specializes in music by women composers and Early music from Ibero-America. She has been a featured guest artist–lecturer at Harvard University, Brandeis University, and Simmons College, among other institutions. She is also founding director of Rumbarroco: a Latin-Baroque fusion ensemble. Rumbarroco’s CDs, Latin-Baroque Fusion, I’ve Found a New Baby: Baroque Meets Afro-Latin Jazz, and Latinas InFusion have been resounding successes. with critics and audiences alike. (www.rumbarroco.org). She is a recipient of the Exemplary Leader award in the category of “Arts” in Boston by the Venezuelan community in Massachusetts and recognized by the City of Boston. Laury Gutiérrez is also the first recipient of the Thomas Zajac Memorial Scholarship from Early Music America (2021). She is also the recipient of the Live Arts Boston grant. (2024).
Miguel Morales Lavado was born in Lima, Perú. He began his musical learning at the age of 8 with classical guitar and at only 9 he was offering his first concert at the National Theater of Lima, marking the beginning of his artistic career. At age 15, he expanded his musical focus to drums and percussion, particularly the cajón, while maintaining his passion for the guitar. Although he still values this instrument, he is currently mainly dedicated to percussion and drums, specializing in Afro-Peruvian and Latin rhythms from all over Latin America. Miguel is in his second year at Berklee College of Music, one of the most prestigious music Colleges in the world, where he is studying Contemporary Writing and Production with a full scholarship. At Berklee, he has delved into percussion, drums and South American rhythms, as well as developing skills in contemporary writing and music production. He has played and participated in various music festivals and shared the stage with artists such as Tony Succar. Among his most outstanding performances is his participation in the Quito Jazz Festival 2024. Miguel continues to hone his craft and contribute to the international music scene with the fusion of Afro-Peruvian rhythms and music from Latin America.
Kirsten Lamb is a double bassist and vocalist from New Jersey. Praised by The Huffington Post as a “brilliant young musician” and the Boston Globe for her “versatility and assurance,” she has performed folk, jazz, classical, and contemporary music throughout the United States and abroad. Kirsten graduated from Oberlin Conservatory in 2009 with a BM in music in both double bass and ethnomusicology. She has studied with bassists Thomas Sperl and Peter Dominguez, sitarist Hasu Patel, and viola da gambist Catharina Meints and has developed a unique solo performance style. Kirsten recently completed an MM in Contemporary Improvisation from New England Conservatory, where she studied with Cecil McBee, Dominique Eade, Hankus Netsky, and Anthony Coleman, debuted several original solo works in Jordan Hall, played for Elvis Costello, performed in John Zorn’s 35-year retrospective, and participated in NEC’s community outreach program. Upon graduation, Kirsten was awarded the Gunther Schuller Medal. Kirsten maintains a private studio, is a frequent guest teacher at schools throughout the Boston area, and recently began a weekly residency with Young Audiences of Massachusetts. Kirsten is currently working on a full-length CD featuring original solo and ensemble compositions. For more information, visit www.kirstenlambmusic.com.
Katherine Shao is a keyboard player, composer, and performance artist of Baroque, Classical, and contemporary music, including jazz. She has also played multiple roles in performance art, including production, theatrical staging, sound design, management, and media editing. After receiving a Master of Music from Indiana University, she co-founded two envelope-pushing groups: Bimbetta, a quintet of singers and instrumentalists that intertwined humor, contemporary culture, and feminism with the music of 17th- and 18th-century Europe, and American Baroque, an award-winning ensemble specializing in commissioning new pieces for period instruments. She has performed and recorded with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, San Francisco Symphony, and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. Over the past decade, she has turned her focus to jazz piano, performing and recording her own compositions, which blend soundscapes, jazz, and modern beats. Currently, she is also a member of the contemporary music ensembles Cosmic Gothic and Cassandra Lee and the Acoustic Project.
