Raquel Paraíso

Raquel received a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance and String Pedagogy from the conservatories of music in Salamanca and Madrid (Spain).  She moved to the States in 1989 to study under violinist Vartan Manoogian and string pedagogue Marvin Rabin.  She holds a Master’s in Violin Performance and a Master’s in Ethnomusicology from UW-Madison. She is currently a Ph. D. Candidate in Ethnomusicology.

Versatile both academically and artistically, she not only performs Western classical music, but Latin American folk music in a variety of musical settings.  She is at ease composing, arranging music for youth string orchestras, researching Latin American musical traditions, lecturing, and performing.  Several trips to Latin America had let her a first-hand knowledge of musical traditions from Mexico, Bolivia, Peru, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Colombia, and Cuba.  She is part of the acclaimed Madison based Latin American ensemble Sotavento, noted by its cross-over musical work and new approaches to traditional and contemporary Latin American musical expressions. 

She lives in Madison, WI, where she teaches a large studio of young violinists and violists, combining this activity with her performing and academic careers.  Founding member of the Sirinx Music School, Raquel teaches every summer at the Sirinx summer music camp in Spain, where she conducts, teaches violin, and leads a workshop on siku (pan flute) making and playing.