A flutist of universal reach
Huáscar Barradas
Huáscar Barradas is a flutist, composer, arranger and music producer, and one of the originators of Venezuelan neo-folklore: the movement that fuses tradition with the contemporary through unimaginable versions of universal classics, original compositions and arrangements that ignore the border between the learned and the popular. For him and his flute, as he likes to put it, it all seems to be «just music».
He trained at conservatoires and universities in Venezuela, the United States and Europe. He was co-principal flute of the Venezuela National Philharmonic Orchestra and of the Caracas Municipal Symphony Orchestra, and he is a founding member of Venezuela’s youth orchestra system, El Sistema, in its Zulia chapter.
In 2023 he won the Latin Grammy for Best Classical Album with Four Elements Immersive Symphony For Orchestra And Chorus, recorded with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and the Simón Bolívar National Choir. He had been nominated twice before: in 2011, for Best Long Form Music Video with the DVD Entre Amigos 2, and in 2013, for Best Instrumental Album. In Venezuela he has won six Pepsi Music awards, and six of the eighteen albums he recorded with his band Huáscar Barradas y Maracaibo went platinum.
He has performed in more than twenty-five countries. His flute has sounded at the Kennedy Center in Washington, the Teresa Carreño in Caracas, the Petronas Towers auditorium in Malaysia, Calle 54 in Madrid and the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, and he has shared the stage with Miguel Bosé, Chavela Vargas, Simón Díaz, Oscar D’León, Guaco and Ilan Chester, among many others.
His work does not fit inside a discography. He wrote the musical La mágica historia del flautista de Hamelín, which sold out twenty-two performances in Caracas and in which he made his debut as leading actor; he composed Pacificanto, which crosses the song of humpback whales with symphony orchestra and human voices; and he scored Mi vida por Sharon, by Carlos Azpúrua. For years he shaped Venezuelan music radio with El Pabellón and Con la flauta al hombro, he founded the Arte para los Niños foundation, and since 2019 he has composed and produced for Harmonie Health Care, in the United States, writing music against stress and sleep disorders. He now divides his life between Caracas and Miami.
Career
Stages
- Kennedy Center, Washington D. C.
- Complejo Cultural Teresa Carreño, Caracas
- American Airlines Arena, Miami
- Auditorio de las Torres Petronas, Malasia
- Calle 54, Madrid
- Catedral de Sal de Zipaquirá, Colombia
- Catedral de Quito, Ecuador
Festivals
- Radio France Montpellier
- Hamburg European International Flute Festival
- National Flute Association Convention (2000 y 2007), Estados Unidos
- Feria Mundial de Hannover, Alemania
- Festival Internacional de Música Contemporánea de Bogotá, Colombia
- International Folklore Festival, Bursa, Turquía
Has shared the stage with
- Miguel Bosé
- Isabel Pantoja
- Chavela Vargas
- Simón Díaz
- Oscar D’León
- Guaco
- Chino y Nacho
- Ilan Chester
- Aldemaro Romero
- Yordano
- Cecilia Todd
- María Teresa Chacín
- Gualberto Ibarreto
- Martirio
- Martha Senn
- Lena
- Felipe Peláez
- Voz Veis
- Don Grusin
- Frank Quintero
- Neguito Borjas
- Mermelada Bunch
- Betulio Medina
- Ricardo Cepeda
- Rafael Rincón González
Beyond the discography
Works and projects
- La mágica historia del flautista de Hamelín2016
- His first musical, premiered in Caracas: twenty-two sold-out performances and his debut as leading actor.
- Pacificanto
- An experimental work combining the song of Colombian Pacific humpback whales with symphony orchestra, percussion, ocarinas and human voices, with mezzo-soprano Martha Senn.
- El Viaje de la Jirafa
- A piece Domingo Sánchez Bor wrote especially for him, recorded with the National Philharmonic Orchestra.
- Mi vida por Sharon
- Soundtrack for the film by Carlos Azpúrua, Venezuela’s national cinema prize winner.
- HB Records
- His record label, backing Venezuelan musical talent.
- Huascarflauta Producciones, C.A.
- His event production company.
- Fundación Arte para los Niños
- Founded by him. It supports children with special talents in music, visual arts, literature, performing arts and contemporary movement.
- Harmonie Health Care LLC
- Since 2019 he has been its composer and music producer, in the United States: music and video for stress, anxiety and sleep disorders.
Radio and podcast
- El Pabellón
- A daily nationwide radio show he directed for four years, devoted to Venezuelan music and its new directions.
- Con la flauta al hombro
- He continued that work until 2019 on the Onda La Superestación network.
- Música y Salud
- His podcast, launched in 2024 on his YouTube channel.
Reviews
What has been written
Huáscar Barradas es un flautista espectacular, líder de banda, compositor y artista musical. Sus actuaciones son estimulantes e inspiradoras. Huáscar se sentiría igual de cómodo en la silla principal de una gran orquesta o tocando con el mejor artista de jazz del mundo. Realmente, es un músico poco común.
El señor Barradas nos elevó al espectro expresivo de la flauta, más allá de lo que nuestros oídos europeos están acostumbrados. Brilló con absoluta precisión rítmica y virtuosidad.
Los intrincados solos de flauta fueron un juego para su pericia en el absoluto dominio del instrumento. Su brillante y claro sonido y su manera de matizar, apoyado en una técnica asombrosa, fueron los elementos para una interpretación de altos quilates.
Dueño de un sonido cristalino, terso, así como de un dominio técnico del instrumento que le permite alardes virtuosos infrecuentes: sus notas sostenidas, las agilidades en perfecto staccato y, por supuesto, la elegante musicalidad al servicio de las delicadas melodías del prodigio salzburgués.
Elabora prolífica y laboriosamente una identidad a partir de nuestra música, su creatividad, sus ocurrencias, sus influencias y la música regional que le precede. Todo eso a lo que muchos le tienen miedo, Huáscar lo vence y lo convierte en suyo.
In short
- Who is Huáscar Barradas?
- Huáscar Barradas is a Venezuelan flutist, composer and producer, born in Maracaibo in 1964. He blends Venezuelan traditional music with jazz, classical and world music, across a career of more than three decades.
- Did he win a Grammy?
- Yes. Huáscar Barradas won the 2023 Latin Grammy for Best Classical Album with «Huáscar Barradas Four Elements Immersive Symphony For Orchestra And Chorus», recorded with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and the Simón Bolívar National Choir.
- How many times has he been nominated for a Latin Grammy?
- Twice, before winning. In 2011 he was nominated for Best Long Form Music Video with the DVD «Entre Amigos 2», and in 2013 for Best Instrumental Album. He won in 2023, in the Best Classical Album category.
- Did he play in an orchestra?
- Yes. Huáscar Barradas was co-principal flute of the Venezuela National Philharmonic Orchestra and of the Caracas Municipal Symphony Orchestra. He is also a founding member of Venezuela’s youth orchestra system, El Sistema, in its Zulia chapter.
- How is his name spelled?
- Huáscar Barradas, with an accent on the first «a». It also circulates as «Huascar Barradas», without the accent, and refers to the same person. It bears no relation to other historical uses of the name Huáscar.
- What is Venezuelan neo-folklore?
- It is the musical movement that fuses Venezuelan tradition with the contemporary: versions of universal classics, original compositions and arrangements that cross the learned with the popular. Huáscar Barradas is one of its originators, alongside the generation of Venezuelan musicians who in the nineties began treating gaita, joropo and Zulian music as material for jazz and chamber music.
- Where is Huáscar Barradas from?
- He is Venezuelan, born in Maracaibo, Zulia state, in 1964.
- Where did he study?
- He trained at the José Luis Paz Conservatory in Maracaibo and continued in the United States —San Jacinto College, Brooklyn College Conservatory, City College of New York and The Juilliard School— and in Germany, studying baroque music at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts.
- What kind of music does he play?
- He blends Venezuelan folk music —gaita, joropo, Zulian music— with Latin jazz, classical music, baroque music, Caribbean music and world music. His main instrument is the concert flute.
- How many albums has he released?
- His published discography spans 21 albums, from «La Nueva Onda de la Música Venezolana» (1996) to «CIRKUS: Payasos y Trapecistas» (2026).
- How can he be booked?
- Through his official site, huascarmusic.com. His shows are «Travesía Latinoamericana», «Un viaje musical por Venezuela» and the Christmas show «Hallacas con Flauta», performed as a trio, quartet or full band, plus the Silente Concerts with high-fidelity headphones. For companies and universities he offers the «Una Flauta Exitosa» lecture and masterclasses, and he also composes original music for brands and audiovisual projects.
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