My name is Rafael Figueroa, I am 24 years old, I come from Margarita Island - Venezuela, I am a Musician, Mechanical Engineer and a crazy lover of this adventure called life.

I will tell you my story confessing that since I was very little the wide variety of percussion instruments and their different sounds have taken my attention.

I come from a home where Engineering was the preferred topic of conversation, because it is the profession of my mother, who always guided me in the path of science; but she is also a person who believes in art as spiritual food and sports as an enriching activity for the body, for this reason she encouraged me to know and find in these areas reasons to make them part of my life.

Thanks to her and her beliefs, I discovered in Mechanical Engineering a path to knowledge and my tool to materialize ideas, solve problems and helping the community; in swimming the ideal activity to relax and nourish my body and mind in a moment of meditation and connection with myself in contact with water; and in music my life partner, providing endless new opportunities, experiences, places and people to meet, the music only ask me respect, responsibility, study, time, perseverance and above all, passion for execute it.

• A path to knowledge

Engineering awakened in me the desire for constant learning and improvement, which has led me to places, situations and decisions that I had not imagined.

Has given me resources to overcome the obstacles that life has presented to me, using imagination and ingenuity in doing so and achieving my goals efficiently.

I thank her for all the knowledge she gives me and all the challenges she offers me, giving my life a very particular sense or point of view of things. I will share with you some of that internal "crazy scientist" and the wonders that engineering has for us!

• The ideal activity

For me swimming is a complete sport, which provides many values to athlete and abilities to body,while being in contact with water, which in my opinion, this is something quite relaxing and comforting. I learned thanks to swimming that your strongest opponent is the best version of you, in which your discipline and commitment are total.

• My life partner

It is very difficult to describe what I feel about music but I know that without it, my life would not be the same. My passion is to make music through percussion,for this reason I began to study it and then my journey have began.

In this incredible journey I have shared very good musical experiences, being a member of groups and orchestras, such as: Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado Nueva Esparta, Banda Experimental MUSICANDI (Margarita Island); Orquesta Afrovenezolana Simón Bolívar, Orquesta Ciencias Es Ritmo, Ensamble Afrovenezolano Simón Bolívar (Caracas).

As well as excellent musicians and persons, such as Andrés Briceño, Javier Suarez, Diego "El Negro" Alvares, Adolfo Herrera, Luzbel "El Sapo" Jiménez, Yilmer vivas, Sergio "El Gato" Gallardo, Manuel Rangel, Leonardo Rojas and Manuel Moreno, all of them percussionists; as well as instrumentalists such as Gonzalo Teppa (double bass), Jorge Glem (cuatro), Alberto "Cheche" Requena (clarinet), Eddy Marcano (Violin);

singers like Rafael "El Pollo" Brito, Marcial Isturiz, Rafael Pino, Sobeida Martinez, Betzaida Machado, Medina Trina, Huguette Contramaestre; also groups such as Guasak4, Trío Aldemaro Romero, Un Solo Pueblo, Herencia;

and even international artists such as Jowee Omicil (saxophone), Eric Séva (saxophone), David Evans (guitar), Chebeto Requena (clarinet), Max de Wardener (composer), Will Dutta (piano), Dr. Matthew Yee-King (composer of music by computer).

Several years ago I have started my journey and the desire to know new instruments, genres, rhythms and learning to execute them still intact. When I started my percussion studies I did it with a very popular instrument, the drumset, and little by little, I studied and learn to play more instruments.

Along the way I developed a special taste for Latin American instruments and rhythms, especially those from my country, Venezuela, and that is what has made me the percussionist that I am today, a lover of good music and eager to be able to share with you a little of what I have learned. Thank you so much for has been whit me reading my introduceyourself until the end...

...&...

l..l LET'S MAKE MUSIC! l..l