On Being A Venezuelan Musician in the USA
Interview with Ana Paola Rincones
Ana Paola Rincones is a Colombian and Venezuelan flutist who was formed in El Sistema-Venezuela and is currently a Haynes Amabassador Clinician. Ana Paola is based in Los Angeles, maintains a private flute studio, and is the co-founder of Global Arts, a music program for underfunded communities and professional development workshops for educators.
What made you decide to move to the USA from Venezuela?
In Venezuela I had been looking for something for a long time without depending on others. Among my travels, there was one that changed the way I saw myself in music and I got it at the NAMM Show that takes place every year in Anaheim, CA. As I did not know anyone and vice versa, I was delighted with the idea of working my way with the tools I have and learned, and Yonathan who was my boyfriend at the time, was thinking of moving out of the country. When I went back to my home country Venezuela, we were unfortunately immersed in constant tension, our security was very much compromised and protests were constantly taking place at a national level and always ended in a very violent way. Consequently, the activities of schools, theaters, colleges, transports, businesses, etc. They all stopped little by little, making things increasingly difficult and sometimes even impossible. With all of this happening, I was still trying to make plans for music looking for ways to teach, study and perform, but it always ended up being canceled due to the political and social situation that not only hit the city but the country. For all the reasons above and many others, we decided to move to Los Angeles earlier than expected with two suitcases and a backpack. Since then it’s been a journey of constant learning.
How are you liking living in LA?
I love living in Los Angeles! it is a city that certainly takes me out of my comfort zone and not only because it is the world capital of the entertainment industry but also because of its multicultural characteristics, its population and its geography. I enjoy learning from people's stories and backgrounds that helps me in understanding the vibe of the city and its surroundings. Here I’ve been able to be creative and nurture myself from other cultures and, at the same time, talking about mine. I also must say that theaters, the gastronomy and the fact that you have the sea and the mountains nearby makes me feel at home!
What have been some of the challenges?
Undoubtedly the biggest challenge is being in a new country with a different language, despite having a large Latino community. Since I arrived, there has been very little Spanish that I have spoken and at first it was intimidating because of the fear of not being clear with my English. Teaching 6 and 10 year olds was definitely a challenge because they don't have a filter and they are very curious, so adding Spanish words in their music classes became one of their favorite things because it became “our secret language” like they used to call it. And there are the distances from place to place without a car, which at the beginning was difficult, but not impossible. It took practice to understand the routes and a bigger time frame to arrive on time.
What have been some of the rewards?
I think obstacles have been the greatest of my rewards and I had to learn to have confidence in myself and to trust myself as a professional. Some of the rewards have been the opportunity to meet wonderful people that I can count on. Others proved to be not so kind but they have taught me as well. Live the dream of belonging and having the support like from the Wm. S. Haynes family, Hall Crystal Flutes and Ideal Music. Another reward is having extraordinary women and educators by my side like Emily Kubitskey and Jacqueline DesRosier. Together we have created our non-profit organization called “Global Arts”, a program inspired by El Sistema created by maestro José Antonio Abreu in Venezuela. Global Arts' mission is to contribute to educational equity by providing exceptional music classes for youth and ongoing professional development workshops for educators in underfunded neighborhoods.
When / How did you learn English?
I started in my home Margarita Island while seeing my parents working in the municipal market, I noticed that they were talking to other people and I did not understand them, and that was when my interest in other languages was awakened. My mother enrolled my siblings and I in English courses since we were little. Then I took every opportunity to practice listening to songs, reading, and even during seminars with El Sistema, I would practice with guest maestros and in festivals that I started to attend in other countries.
Where is your family?
My family is from La Guajira in Colombia, but my parents currently live on Margarita Island in Venezuela.
Where is your musical family?
It all started with my musical family of El Sistema Venezuela, but today I can say that my musical family is everywhere, it has grown and I am happy to have exceptional musicians and friends all over the world from varied musical styles. That’s for me the beauty of music and arts.
How were you able to record your last CD?
Notes to Paola was recorded in Caracas between 2016 and 2017, most of the production was recorded in the studio of my producer Yonathan “Morocho” Gavidia also some additional recordings were made in other studios. When we moved to Los Angeles, we needed time to adapt to the new culture so we had to take a pause while we settled down and be able to find the right space to continue the project. By the end of 2019 we resumed the post-production process (editing, mixing and mastering) between Los Angeles and Miami to finalize the album which was presented on September 19, 2020.
"Notas a Paola" is currently available on all digital music platforms such as Spotify, iTunes, YouTube Music, etc.
What made you decide to move to the USA from Venezuela?
En Venezuela tenía mucho tiempo buscando algo sin depender de los demás. Entre mis viajes, hubo uno que cambió la forma sobre cómo me veía en la música y lo obtuve con el NAMM Show que se realiza cada año en Anaheim, CA. Como no conocía a nadie y viceversa, quedé encantada con la idea de trabajar mi camino con las herramientas que tengo y Yonathan quien para ese momento era mi novio, estaba pensando en mudarse del país. Al regresar a mi país lamentablemente estaba inmerso en una tensión constante, la seguridad estaba muy comprometida y constantemente se realizaban protestas a nivel nacional que terminaban de forma muy violenta. En consecuencia las actividades de escuelas, teatros, universidades, transportes, negocios, etc. fueron deteniéndose poco a poco haciendo las cosas cada vez más difíciles y a veces hasta imposibles. Con todo esto pasando, de igual forma hacía planes para la música, buscaba maneras de dar clases y de estudiar, pero éstos terminaban cancelados por la situación político-social que atravesaba no solo la ciudad sino el país en general. Por las razones anteriores y muchas otras más decidimos mudarnos a Los Ángeles antes de lo esperado con dos maletas y un morral, y desde entonces ha sido un camino de constante aprendizaje.
How are you liking living in LA?
Me encanta estar en Los Ángeles, es una ciudad que sin duda me saca de mi zona de confort y no sólo por ser la capital mundial de la industria del entretenimiento sino por su característica multicultural, su población y su geografía. Disfruto de aprender de las historias de cada una de las personas que voy conociendo, de entender la energía de la ciudad y sus alrededores y de poder ser creativa y aportar en lo que se esté trabajando, y debo decir que la gastronomía y tener el mar y la montaña cerca me hace sentir en casa.
What have been some of the challenges?
Indudablemente el desafío mayor es estar en un país nuevo y con un idioma diferente, a pesar de tener una comunidad latina grande, desde que llegué ha sido muy poco el español que he hablado y al principio fue un poco intimidante por miedo de no ser clara con mi inglés. Dar clases a niños de 6 y 10 años definitivamente fue un desafío porque no tienen filtro y son muy curiosos por lo que agregar palabras en español en sus clases de música se convirtió en una de sus cosas favoritas porque se convertía en “nuestro lenguaje secreto” como solían decirle.
What have been some of the rewards?
Pienso que los obstáculos han sido la mayor de mis recompensas y I had to learn to be confident in myself and trust in myself as a professional. Algunas de las recompensas han sido la oportunidad de conocer a personas maravillosas y con las que cuento, otras no tan amables pero que me han enseñado a desenvolverme en la ciudad. Vivir el sueño de pertenecer y contar con el apoyo Wm. S. Haynes, Hall Crystal Flutes e Ideal Music. Y otra recompensa es tener a mi lado a extraordinarias mujeres y educadoras como Emily Kubitskey y Jacqueline DesRosier y que juntas hayamos creado nuestra organización sin fines de lucro Global Arts, un programa inspirado en El Sistema creado por el maestro José Antonio Abreu en Venezuela. Global Arts’ mission is to contribute to educational equity by providing exceptional music classes for youth and continual professional development for educators in underfunded neighborhoods.
When / How did you learn English?
Comencé a estudiar el inglés en mi isla natal, Isla de Margarita. Cuando veía a mis padres trabajar en el mercado municipal noté que hablaban con otras personas y no los entendía, ahí fue despertando mi interés en otros idiomas. Mi madre nos inscribió a mis hermanos y a mí en cursos de idiomas desde pequeños, luego tomaba la oportunidad de practicar en cada seminario que se realizaba en El Sistema con maestros invitados o durante algún viaje, hasta que decidí estudiar idiomas modernos en la universidad aunque no pude finalizar mis estudios.
Where is your family?
Mi familia es de La Guajira de Colombia, pero mis padres actualmente viven en la Isla de Margarita en Venezuela.
Where is your musical family?
Todo comenzó con mi familia de El Sistema, pero hoy puedo decir que mi familia musical se encuentra en todos lados, con los años ha ido creciendo y soy feliz de contar con músicos y amigos excepcionales alrededor del mundo y de variados estilos musicales.
How were you able to record your last CD?
Notas a Paola fue grabado en Caracas entre el año 2016 y 2017, la mayoría de la producción fue grabada en el estudio de mi productor Yonathan “Morocho” Gavidia y además se hicieron algunas grabaciones adicionales en otros estudios. Al llegar a Los Ángeles, pasamos por un proceso de adaptación a la nueva cultura por lo que tuvimos que hacer una pausa mientras nos establecimos y poder lograr el espacio adecuado para continuar el proyecto. A finales del 2019 retomamos el proceso de postproducción ( edición, mezcla y masterización) entre los Ángeles y Miami para finalizar el disco el cual fue presentado el pasado 19 de Septiembre de 2020.
Notas a Paola se encuentra actualmente disponible en todas las plataformas digitales de música como Spotify, iTunes, Youtube Music, etc.