Belmont Agency>>Jazz & Cabaret Artists>>Maria Rivas

She is one of the most relevant and contemporary vocalists and compositors of Venezuela. She was born in Caracas, her versatility and musical movement represents the new sound in the Three Americas. Painting her music with a native shade, European and African which are part of her unique style, representing the new era in the Latin jazz and the Tropical Pop. Maria began singing professionally in the Caracas's pops by mid 80's, then she moved to the Aruba Island, and for at least three years she performed in the major hotels of the island the concert named "Sentimental Journey through the Jazz".

Back to Venezuela by beginning of the 90's, she began presenting a show in most of the majors theaters and clubs of the biggest cities, and became a very important artist among others in the country, when she managed to fill out all the location by three consecutives days in the biggest and magnificent theater Teresa Carreno, by the end of the same year that she had arrived.

Her expression, dynamism, tuning and spontaneity when performing Spanish, English and Portuguese music, positioning her into one of the most versatility vocalist in Latin American, according with Aldemaro Romero, teacher and Venezuelan compositor. Her music and songs in favor of the environment made her the leadership of the ecologists and gave her the honor to receive the first prize in her career, "William H Phelps", in defense of the environment.

Since 1990 Maria had produced 6 records, FIRST BORN, from here her first hit, "Motorized". Her second production MANDUCO, done in 1992 that included the hit that changed Maria's career, the main theme Manduco, a very rhythmic and contagious song which merge a rich flavor of the Latin American coast, keeping during one year among the tenth places in the Venezuelan Hit Parade, achievement an artistic consolidation, which had prevail in Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and Brazil where the Manduco phenomenon had been enjoyed.

In 1994, Maria produced her third record MAPALE with the EMI International record production, acquiring her third hit with "How do you do" from the Venezuelan author Aldemaro Romero. From this third production she chooses two of the songs, she had created to be included in the Collection "World Music" form the Hemisphere Series, distributed among 60 countries around the world.

In 1996 she produced her fourth record MUARE, with the ANGELS FALLS COMPANY in Panama, where the artist offers a tribute to the Jazz, with a singular way to transform a classic north American and Latin themes of the 40' 50' and 60's into a very exciting sound of Salsa, under the arrangement of a Venezuelan musician Alberto Naranjo, singing in Spanish and English.

As she mentioned: Muare has the exciting flavor of an exotic mix of a very good "Scotch with Coconut Water", acquiring his most recently hit "SWING CON SON" from the famous Billo Frometa of the "Billos Caracas Boys", this production had received the most favorable critic in New York, Viena and Medellin, city where she was invited to presented the repertoire of Muare with the Big Band of Medellin in the Jazz Festival which is done annually in the Metropolitan Theater of the city.

In 1998 produced her fifth record called "CAFE NEGRITO", according with her, it is a record which invites to share the most light, romantic and delicious antidepressant. The coffee and its ritual, to listen a repertoire of stories in the "cafetales" (place where the coffee is produced), love stories in the coffee shops and the most sincere expression of humor and love by the "Trilogia Encantada" "Charming Trilogy" to be Latin American.

In 2003 recorded an alive production in piano and voice called "EN CONCIERTO" together with Aldemaro Romero "the teacher", where she interprets classics themes of the new wave.

Maria Rivas had received the most prestigious prized in Venezuela and Brazil. She had share scene with artists of the size of: Pablo Milanes, Juan Luis Guerra, Paquito De Rivera, Zimbo Trio del Brazil, Leila Pinheiro, Leny Andrade, Arturo Sandoval, Ruben Blades, Cheo Feliciano, Joan Manuel Serrat, Daniela Mercury, Albita, the Venezuela Symphonic Orchestra, Simon Bolivar Symphonic Orchestra, The Symphonic Orchestra of Carabobo, The Symphonic Orchestra of Maracaibo, The National Symphonic Orchestra, and La Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho, under the baton of great teacher as: Eduardo Marturet, Aldemaro Romero, Rodolfo Sanglinveni, Pablo Castellanos, Alfredo Rugeles. She now is the main vocalist of the Big Band of Symphonic of Venezuela.

Today, Maria Rivas represents the color of a musical movement, unique because its richness in rhythm and messages, which had taken to other countries like: Colombia, Brazil, Santo Domingo, Bolivia, Aruba, Puerto Rico and she had performed five tours during: 98, 99, 2000, 2004 and 2005 through Europe in the following countries: Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Austria, Portugal, France, Germany and Holland.

She participated in October 2004 in the "Salon Solera Light de la Moda en Caracas" as a model together with the designer Octavio Vasquez, and as an invited guest in the closing of this event, singing themes of her next record. In November she presented a show in the prestigious Night Club in Paris "New Morning" together with the Venezuelan Orlando Poleo, Saul Vera and Eugenia Mendez, to celebrate the Caracas Week in Paris. She performed in cities like Viena, Barcelona and Milano, where his musical proposal was received as always with a big enthusiasm. Also she interpreted the main theme of the Venezuelan movie "Yotama se va Volando" "Yotama is flying away" from the film maker Luis Armando Roche and part of the music of the soundtrack of this film. Recently she had collaborate with the national group of Hip hop "Vagos y Maleantes" in the performance of two of the musical themes, and she is getting involved in the trance music, house and dance, by the hand of a Venezuelan DJ's Robert Rabatth.

Between April and May of 2005 she participated in the tribute to the legendary bank of Britain Music "Queen" in the Aruba Island, together with artists as Frank Quintero and Elisa Rego among others; they revived with theirs voices the themes once interpreted by Freddy Mercury.

In June, shared scene again with Eugenia Mendez, Saul Vera and Orlando Poleo, repeating with success the concert performed in Paris last November, but this time in Venezuelan land in the Aula Magna of the Central University of Venezuela.

Her last performance has been within the country, in cities like Maracay, in the International Fair of Valencia, Harmony Theater together with the Symphonic Orchestra of Coro and the Teacher Aldemaro Romero, in Maracaibo and of course in Caracas, where she had performed with success in different scenarios like Teresa Carreno Theater, Alejandro Otero Museum, Quinta La Esmeralda and other private and Corporate events.

In September she performed in a Jazz Festival of Barranquilla and Bogota, between 14th and 19th, together with the teacher Aldemaro Romero, she participated in Italy between 20th and 25th, and the Symphonic Orchestra of Milan, as special guest to become part of the Music Festival in Tribute to the well known Musician Astor Piazzolla.

In the 2005 Maria Rivas accomplish 20 years of a professional trajectory and in November of that year was launched one collection of her success name "Lo Maximo" "The Most" which include 18 significant themes, which has been part of her career, and she ended with the launch in December of her 7th production called "Aquador" where she include unpublished themes dedicated to the woman, to love and to ecology, to join the expression of pop, jazz, chill out trip hop, electronic, rap and hip hop, from her inexhaustible soul of Aquarius woman, who loves God, and the exercises of love as a supreme inspiration.

During the first quarter of 2006, Maria has dedicated to promote her last record to the most important media of the country, which includes radio, TV, press and magazines more prestigious of national circulation; parallel alive displays together with the teacher Aldemaro Romero and the Symphonic Orchestra Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho; as well as performing with her band, becoming one of the most relevant female voice in our country, always looking forward for new sounds, and renewing her own musical style.