About María Victoria
Venezuelan singer, songwriter, and harpist whose artistry carries forward the rhythmic, poetic, and harmonic sophistication of Venezuelan folk music, integrating it into contemporary production and the storytelling language of musical theater.
Her career began at a young age, performing with Sinfonía Guariqueña, an independent Venezuelan music group, as well as in El Sistema choirs and the choir of Simón Rodríguez University, where her mother worked. While receiving piano, guitar and venezuelan cuatro lessons, she also performed at regional festivals as both a singer and dancer. At 14, she joined El Sistema’s Alma Llanera Orchestra, where she served for five years (2016–2021) as a harpist and singer, touring across the country, mentoring young musicians, and representing Venezuela at the United Nations in Vienna in 2018.
María received formal training in both classical and Venezuelan styles. She studied classical voice with Maestro Idwer Álvarez at the Simón Bolívar National Conservatory of Music and traditional Venezuelan voice with Fabiola José at the National University of the Arts. In Venezuela, she earned recognition in national competitions, including the Canta en Francés competition organized by the Alliance Française.
Beyond music, in 2017 she was selected among 10 of Venezuela’s most outstanding young people to represent her country in the United States through the Youth Ambassadors Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy. The selection recognized her academic achievement, leadership, and commitment to community service. During the program, she was also recognized as a Goodwill Ambassador of Arkansas. Committed to social impact, María also founded Music as a Service Channel Project, a volunteer initiative that provided free voice and Venezuelan folk-music education to children in her community, offering support during the most challenging years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guided by her faith in God, discipline, and dedication, María made history as the first Venezuelan woman harpist and cuatro player to study at Berklee College of Music, as well as the first person from Guarico State to attend Berklee, thanks to Berklee's full-tuition merit scholarship and the Lin Manuel Miranda Family Fellowship. During her time at Berklee, she collaborated and performed with Grammy-winning artists, including Javier Limón, her songwriting professor, and performed as one of the lead vocalists in sold-out concerts at the Berklee Performance Center.
In 2025, María performed as the pit-band harpist for the New York City developmental workshop of Basura, the original musical by Gloria Estefan, Emily Estefan, and Karen Zacarías, with orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire and music coordination by David Lai.
In 2026, María graduated from Berklee College of Music and is now preparing to release her music as a solo artist, bringing her audience a voice shaped by Venezuelan folklore, resilience, faith, and a deep sense of purpose.