Ramón Brito

In his large family in eastern Venezuela, everyone sang and played a musical instrument, mainly guitar, cuatro, or mandolin. He started playing the cuatro and guitar at age 8 and the harp at 14. He had music teachers for violin, accordion, piano, and bandola, but his greatest passion and the one to which he dedicated the most time was always the harp.

At age 16, he left his hometown of El Tigre and moved to Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. Three months after arriving, he met a young man his age who sang, played the cuatro, and was learning to play the harp, naturally becoming his friend and teacher.

One day, Ramón was invited to a musical gathering at his friend's cousin's house, a renowned advertiser who wanted to listen to them to evaluate whether they could accompany a Venezuelan folk music singer he was promoting on television. The performance ended up being for the most prominent show on Venezuelan television: El Show de Renny.

After a successful audition, they were hired for several performances and record recordings. In this way, he began his artistic career through the front door, remaining in the industry for 10 years before moving to reside in the United States.

Three years after his television debut, he formed a new musical group that was hired as the backing ensemble for the Ballet of the famous Venezuelan dancer Yolanda Moreno. At the same time, they maintained a weekly program with the renowned singer Adilia Castillo.

At the same time, the group became the resident ensemble for a musical program on Radio Caracas TV, directed by the famed composer Chelique Saravia, with whom they recorded albums and went on artistic tours inside and outside Venezuela, accompanying figures such as Rosa Virginia Chacín, María Teresa Chacín, and Cherry Navarro.

The musical group participated in numerous prominent events, eventually being awarded the Guaicaipuro de Oro, the country's highest artistic recognition.

From that era, Ramón treasures valuable memories and three unforgettable anecdotes.

The first anecdote involves the famous harpist and composer Hugo Blanco, whom he met shortly after arriving in Caracas. During a party, he mentioned to Blanco that he had enrolled in an intensive 9-month English course, which Blanco decided to join as well. They attended together from Monday to Friday in the mornings; Blanco would pick him up in the van he used to transport his instruments and equipment following the success of his song Moliendo Café. In class, they called him Raymond and Hugo, Mr. White.

The second anecdote relates to the famed singer La Lupe. With her, they recorded an album of Venezuelan and Latin music. Rehearsals took place in her apartment, watched enthusiastically by his mother, who appreciated the artist's personality.

The third anecdote corresponds to a trip taken to Washington D.C. for an artistic performance at a dinner hosted by the Embassy of Venezuela for the Vice President of the United States, Hubert Humphrey.

During that week in Washington, he was impressed by the country, which led him to make the decision to move to live there two years later.

Currently, after meeting three other musicians who share the same passion for the harp, they formed the group Arpa Nova Project, rehearsing weekly to offer their work to the public. When he is not playing the harp, Ramón enjoys having a coffee with friends, spending time with his grandchildren, and working on the book he is writing.