Petanare - Cynthia Valenzuela

Cynthia Valenzuela holds a Masters degree in Music Composition and Harp from Cal Arts School of Music. She has studied with Mel Powel, the successor of Paul Hindemith of Yale University, Leonard Stein, editor at Schoenberg, Gayle Barrington, student of Carlos Salcedo and Susan Allen, virtuoso of the contemporary harp. Cynthia Valenzuela has recorded more than ten CDs as a soloist with her compositions for the Celtic harp. She recorded with ensembles playing Celtic, medieval and ancient music, with Digital Urtext Classics, Caroline Record EMI of New York, and Woldsong Productions, distributed worldwide.

She is a four time first place winner of the National Celtic Harp competition in the United States, including the all-around prize; second place in the International Jazz Harp Competition in the United States; prestigious New York BMI award for Young Composers, being the first Mexican to receive this prize; the Composers Incorporated SESAC USA award, an MTV award for the best short film (by Eric Darnell) music.

She has received more than ten grants and scholarships from United States foundations and institutions.

Until now she has been awarded three grants from FONCA, CONACULTA and the government including one Creators with Trajectory award, Young Creators and Cultural Promotion to Projects and Cultural Conversions. Her music has been played in Mexico and in foreign countries and she has had her compositions commissioned by the Schoenberg Institute, the North Wind Quintet, the Barrio Orchestra Le Borg Theatre Co, the Festival of the Pyramids of Taj’n, among others. She has performed numerous concerts and tours by through Mexico and the United States. She has performed in Venezuela, Puerto Rico, France and Spain. She has represented Mexico in numerous international festivals, including the International Society Festival of Harpists Competition; ISFHC, all of the ãEncuentros de Arpaä in Latin America, the International Festival of Taj’n, the First Festival Dark Folk, the British Festival, Lark World Music and Dance Festival in California, being part of the staff from 1987 to present. Besides the harp, she plays several instruments. Cynthia is the first person to introduce ãLa Varelinaä, a chromatic instrument with cords invented by Andres Altamirano.

She played ãLa Varelinaä in Mexican concerts and at the Somerset Festival in New Jersey, among other places.

At the turn of the century Alan Stivell found himself delighted to be doing a concert at the great Pyramids of Mexico. When he asked Cynthia Valenzuela to join him in that concert and she accepted, they both found themselves ecstatic at the prospect of creating their music together to welcome in the New Year with new century of the year 2000.

That concert was a milestone for harp music, and in Cynthia's own words:

"To me it was like playing within a dream of crystaline sounds, a dream of humanity in a new century, sharing music with the ethereal Alan Stivell, the founder of the renaissance of the celtic harp the world over."

And in Alan Stivell's words: "Cynthia's playing is highly sensitive and her music very effective"

Her music is being used in various parts of the world, in therapy as a form of rehabilitation. She has been recognized by the International Commission of Human Rights, the President of Ireland, the Ambassadors of Ireland and England and a very special recognition by the monks of Tibet.


Artists Biography
Cynthia Valenzuela holds a Masters degree in Music Composition and Harp from Cal Arts School of Music. She has studied with Mel Powel, the successor of Paul Hindemith of Yale University, Leonard Stein, editor at Schoenberg, Gayle Barrington, student of Carlos Salcedo and Susan Allen, virtuoso of the contemporary harp. Cynthia Valenzuela has recorded more than ten CDs as a soloist with her compositions for the Celtic harp. She recorded with ensembles playing Celtic, medieval and ancient music, with Digital Urtext Classics, Caroline Record EMI of New York, and Woldsong Productions, distributed worldwide. She is a four time first place winner of the National Celtic Harp competition in the United States, including the all-around prize; second place in the International Jazz Harp Competition in the United States; prestigious New York BMI award for Young Composers, being the first Mexican to receive this prize; the Composers Incorporated SESAC USA award, an MTV award for the best short film (by Eric Darnell) music. She has received more than ten grants and scholarships from United States foundations and institutions. Until now she has been awarded three grants from FONCA, CONACULTA and the government including one Creators with Trajectory award, Young Creators and Cultural Promotion to Projects and Cultural Conversions. Her music has been played in Mexico and in foreign countries and she has had her compositions commissioned by the Schoenberg Institute, the North Wind Quintet, the Barrio Orchestra Le Borg Theatre Co, the Festival of the Pyramids of Taj’n, among others. She has performed numerous concerts and tours by through Mexico and the United States. She has performed in Venezuela, Puerto Rico, France and Spain. She has represented Mexico in numerous international festivals, including the International Society Festival of Harpists Competition; ISFHC, all of the ãEncuentros de Arpaä in Latin America, the International Festival of Taj’n, the First Festival Dark Folk, the British Festival, Lark World Music and Dance Festival in California, being part of the staff from 1987 to present. Besides the harp, she plays several instruments. Cynthia is the first person to introduce ãLa Varelinaä, a chromatic instrument with cords invented by Andres Altamirano. She played ãLa Varelinaä in Mexican concerts and at the Somerset Festival in New Jersey, among other places. At the turn of the century Alan Stivell found himself delighted to be doing a concert at the great Pyramids of Mexico. When he asked Cynthia Valenzuela to join him in that concert and she accepted, they both found themselves ecstatic at the prospect of creating their music together to welcome in the New Year with new century of the year 2000. That concert was a milestone for harp music, and in Cynthia's own words: "To me it was like playing within a dream of crystaline sounds, a dream of humanity in a new century, sharing music with the ethereal Alan Stivell, the founder of the renaissance of the celtic harp the world over." And in Alan Stivell's words: "Cynthia's playing is highly sensitive and her music very effective" Her music is being used in various parts of the world, in therapy as a form of rehabilitation. She has been recognized by the International Commission of Human Rights, the President of Ireland, the Ambassadors of Ireland and England and a very special recognition by the monks of Tibet.

	Cynthia and Alan Stivell