Jackeline Rago

Quatro, Bandola Percussion

Jackeline Rago is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, producer and educator who specializes in Venezuelan folk music as well as music from other Latin American and Caribbean countries.

She was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and began playing Venezuelan music at the age of four. Before coming to the United States, she spent years studying the Folk-Venezuelan Cuatro (the national string instrument of Venezuela) and classical mandolin at The Caracas Philarmonic Orchestra Conservatory. Her Afro-Venezuelan percussion studies took place in Venezuela with master percussionist Alexander Livinalli and Hector Pacheco from the Fundacion Bigott (Venezuela's Folkloric Institute). In 1989, Jackeline graduated with a B.A. from the Music & Arts Institute of San Francisco, CA, majoring in classical mandolin.

Just recently, Rago received the “Award of Excellence in Music“ given by the Mission Cultural Center for the Latino Arts in its 30th Anniversary, in San Francisco, CA. Additionally, Jackeline is a recipient of awards and grants from the Rockefeller Foundation, California Arts Council, Meet the Composer/Readers Digest Commissioning Program, The National Endowment for the Arts, the Lila Wallace Readers Digest Foundation and AIM (Adventures in Music program sponsored by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra).

Jackeline Rago has performed and recorded with master musicians such as John Santos, Linda Tillery, Dr. Ysaye Maria Barnwell, Holly Near and more.

To learn more please visit www.jackelinerago.com.