La Siembra del Cuatro

La Siembra del Cuatro is a competition for cuatro players here in Venezuela
and it literally means "The Sowing of the Cuatro". Like planting the seads for future harvests. And that's exactly the result of Cheo Hurtado's project. Cheo is the greatest and certainly most influential cuatro player ever. He organized this competition to stimulate his students and bring musicians together who otherwise would not know each other. There have been cuatro players from all over Venezuela and even Colombia. There is a lot of respect and good vibes between all of them and the ground is very fertile for cross pollenization of styles and techniques. I attended the showcase concert for the cuatro players involved in the previous competitions and was amazed at the level of playing. It was so good that I followed them to Valencia (3 hours away from Caracas) for the evening concert.
Congratulations to Cheo (and the other members of Ensamble Gurrufío who generously accompanied the cuatro players) for a fantastic idea! It is exactly what we need in Venezuela right now to promote the local culture and give support to the upcoming talent.