Las Guaracheras (Colombia)

Hailing from Cali, Colombia, Las Guaracheras is a vibrant all-women salsa sextet that brings the Afro-Caribbean rhythms of Colombia’s pacific coast to life. Their bold compositions and powerful lyrics champion the visibility and voices of women in the Latin Music scene in Colombia, celebrating female strength as a source of love, hope, resilience and creativity.

BAND MEMBERS

Diana Sánchez (lead vocals)

Throughout her life, Diana Sánchez has carried out different studies in the musical field. From a very young age, she began her career as a vocalist for different children’s groups directed by Luis Carlos Ochoa (Minison, Soneritos and Ardillitas). She has been part of various female groups such as: Chicas Madera and Orquesta Canela where she served as lead singer for fifteen (15) years. Currently, she is a cultural ambassador together with the Valle del Cauca government with the “Escuelas Culturales Vallecaucanas” program, in which they promote the cultural rights of citizens in the different towns and cities of the Cauca Valley, in which they hold artistic and musical exhibitions. At the same time, she has been working as a vocalist for Las Guaracheras since December 2022.

Daniela Vergara (bass)

Daniela Vergara is a performer of electric bass, double bass, and baby bass, a graduate of the Antonio María Valencia Conservatory in Cali, Colombia, where she earned a Master’s degree in Double Bass.

Throughout her career, she has participated in important national and international music festivals; throughout her international career, she has participated in numerous tours. Of note is her participation in the Mexican tour with Las Guaracheras, where she represented the city of Cali through the collective La Caleña Sound System in 2022. In 2023, she continued her international journey, traveling again to Mexico to promote the album “Lo que somos,” then to Canada to participate in the Sunfest festival, and finally a tour of the United States in 2024 with more than 30 dates, also with Las Guaracheras.

He participated in the recording of the ICESI University Fortissimas project, collaborating on the works “No tiene memoria” and “Azucarero” by María Isabel Mejía, as well as “Pájaro yo” by Carolina Calvache. He has also participated in recordings for artists such as Alexis Play, Junior Zamora, and Maréh.

He has been part of Las Guaracheras’ discography, recording bass on the EPs “Acércate y mírame” (2020), “Seis Pal’ Mundo” (2021), and the album “Lo que somos” (2023).

She is currently part of two key groups: Curao, a project in which she composes, explores new genres, and musical fusions, and Las Guara

Gina Botía (timbales)

Percussionist and teacher from Cali, Colombia. She holds a degree in music with an emphasis on percussion from the Universidad del Valle in Cali. In 2017, she was selected as the winner of the “Young Performers” competition organized by the Bank of the Republic of Colombia. She has participated in important national and international festivals in countries such as Colombia, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Spain, and the United States, with various groups. She is currently a music teacher in Cali. Gina Botía is a member of the Las Guaracheras sextet, playing timpani and vocals.

Elizabeth Muñóz (keyboard)

Elizabeth Muñoz Quintero, better known as Elizabeth Hermann, is a pianist and singer from Tumaco who has cultivated her passion for music since the age of 6. She began her training with private teachers and music academies in several cities in Colombia. She previously laid the groundwork in Univalle’s Pre-Basic program before eventually entering the music program with an emphasis on music production at Icesi University and the digital communication program. Throughout her career, she has performed genres such as Son, Funk, Pop, Latin Jazz, and classical music. She has now been appointed as the full-time pianist for “Las Guaracheras.”

Kate Ortega (vibraphone)

Kate Ortega is a vibraphonist, percussionist, and teacher from Cali, Colombia.

He completed his musical studies at the Universidad del Valle and advanced studies in jazz vibraphone at the Manuel de Falla Conservatory in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

She participated in the recording of the album Alegría by Argentine saxophonist Yamile Burich, an album that was nominated for best jazz album at the 2020 Gardel Awards. She is currently part of Tamborimba, a percussion group from Cali, and the duet with pianist Santiago Melo, Con Alma Dueto, where she is exploring the exercise of musical composition. She is the vibraphonist for the group Las Guaracheras.

Laura Linares (Band leader, congas)

Master of Music with an emphasis on sound engineering, graduated from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá (2010-2016). She carried out musical studies from an early age with private teachers in the area of ​​Percussion. Currently, she works as an independent professional percussionist musician in different national and international groups, taking her participation to countries such as Mexico, the United States, Cuba, France, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Canada, Spain. She has experience in the music industry for more than fifteen (15) years as a percussionist musician and leader of several percussion ensembles in the city. Today she leads the musical project Las Guaracheras. She is the director and conguera player of the group.

This engagement of Las Guaracheras is made possible in part through the Performing Arts Global Exchange program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Instituto Guimarães Rosa.

The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, The Alice P. Ditson Fund at Columbia University, the BMI Foundation, New Music USA, and the New York State Council on the Arts. 

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