Angel Salas

Angel Salas is a flautist, cuatro player, and singer from Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela. His musical beginnings were thanks to the Venezuelan Youth and Children's Symphony Orchestra System (Ciudad Guayana branch), where he began studying music reading and solfège on the recorder at age 5. At age 7, he chose the transverse flute as his main instrument for the orchestra. He progressed through all levels of the branch's orchestras, from the beginner orchestra to the youth orchestra, playing a purely classical repertoire by composers such as Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and others. Simultaneously, he studied Venezuelan flute music on his own and gradually became more interested in the Venezuelan cuatro. At the age of 11, he decided to learn to play the Venezuelan cuatro on his own and dedicated himself to practicing the instrument, finding inspiration online from artists like Jorge Glem, Miguel Siso, Cheo Hurtado, El Pollo Brito, and many others who guided him on his journey. At 15, he received his first cuatro lesson from Miguel Siso. At 16, he moved to Illinois and began his studies at Bartlett High School, where he played flute in the school wind ensemble during his junior and senior years, graduating. He also won the U46 Talent Fest in 2023 at the age of 17. After graduating from high school, he decided to study music performance at Northern Illinois University, where he studied classical flute with Scott Metlicka. He is currently a member of the NIU Philharmonic, the NIU Jazz Combo, and the NIU Wind Ensemble. In the United States, he has shared the stage with artists such as Jorge Glem. Elgin Symphony. Jose Diaz. Eric Chacon. Raimundo Pineda. Jairo Toloza.