ARTISTIC RESUME (English)

Maria Elena Medina was born in Maracay, Venezuela. She studied cello in the Conservatoire “Simon Bolivar” in Caracas, under the tutelage of composer and cellist Paul Desenne, at the same time she was part of the “Simon Bolivar” Youth Symphony Orchestra, currently known as one of the Orchestras of “El Sistema”.

Later she became interested in Early Music and an autodidact of Viola da Gamba. In 2000 she won first prize in the “II Bach-Abel Competition” for Viola da Gamba staged in Köthen-Anhalt, Germany.

Her musical interests were also oriented towards the vocal performance, taking singing lessons with professors Zaira Castro, Margot Pares Reyna and Sara Caterine in Venezuela. In 2005 Maria Elena Medina finished her superior degree in Viola Da Gamba at the Superior School of Music in Catalunya, ESMUC, her teachers were Sophie Watillon and Jordi Savall. That same year she starts her studies in Historic Singing with professors Lambert Climent, Marta Almajano, Arthur Schoonderwoerd (interpretation of the romantic period) and contemporary and classical singing with professor Assumpta Mateu.

She has perfected her education attending courses with Montserrat Figueras, Mark Padmore, Nancy Argenta, Marius van Altena and Esther Lamandier. Maria Elena was part of the vocal ensemble “Chamber 16”, with whom she performed numerous concerts, including one in 2006 at the “Festival of Music Esplugues” performing as a soloist in the Magnificat by J.S. Bach. She also performed “Mateu Fletxa and the Cançoner del Duc de Calabria” with the Ensemble “La Justa” in the “Musicant de Campllong Festival”. She has collaborated on several occasions with the “Cor Madrigal” directed by Mireia Barrera.

Maria Elena Medina was a member of the “Syntagma Ensemble”, one of the most Venezuelan prestigious ensembles in the field of historical interpretation, performing several concerts in Latin America. She records several CDs with this Ensemble “Voices of Andalucia” and “Aires de Siglo”, an anthology of the late Venezuelan romanticism.

She belongs to the “Taller de los Juglares” a musical group dedicated to the interpretation of the children’s Latin America traditional music. She has had outstanding performances in Festival like “Encuentros de la Cancion Infantil Latinoamericana y del Caribe” in Mexico, Argentina and Colombia.

She currently maintains a close collaboration with “El Taller de los Juglares” and “Ediciones Ekare” in the dissemination of their musical collections as “Duo” and other titles. This year this group is responsible for the musical production of the book “Cancionero de Cuna”or “Cradle songs”.

Her most recent collaborations in recordings have been the completion of the CD “Phillips: Motets & Madrigaux” performing with the musical group “Capella Mediterranea” directed by Leonardo Garcia Alarcón and “Les Concerts des Violes” with the “Marenostrum Ensemble” directed by Andrea de Carlo.

From the year 2010 to February 2012, Maria Elena Medina was part of the company Cirque du Soleil for the show “Zaia” at the Venetian Resort in Macau S.A.R.

Throughout her artistic career, Maria Elena Medina has participated in numerous festivals in Europe and America. Since her arrival to Barcelona, she has collaborated as soloist with numerous groups, artists and directors as: l’Albera, La Justa, The Rare Fruits Council, La Fontegara, De Pulchrae, Canto Coronato, La Chimera, Ensemble Mare Nostrum, La Capella Mediterranea, Capella Peñaflorida, Compañía Musical, Coral de cámara de Pamplona, Cor Madrigal, Cor de Cambra del Palau de la Música Catalana, Cambra 16, Academia Montis Regalis, Orquesta barroca catalana, Orquesta Nacional de Cámara de Andorra, Diego Torres, Lidia Pujol, Josep Cabré, Gabriel Garrido y Jordi Savall.

Recently she collaborated with the group “Los Incas” led by the world-renowned charanguista Jorge Milchberg.

In June of 2013 she received her degree in singing, specializing in "early music instruments" from the Superior School of Music in Catalunya (ESMUC) under the guidance of Professor Marta Almajano.