Mambo Piano

Mariela Suárez

Piano, Violin

Expert piano instructor specializing in Latin rhythms Mariela Suárez Born on February 6, 1971, in Havana, Cuba. From the age of four, she began appearing on TV, radio, documentaries, and in theater as part of the children's musical group Meñique. She studied at the music academy specializing in piano and violin. In 1987 she won first place in a national contest for violin students. Mariela graduated with a technical and professional degree as an instrumentalist and violin professor. In 1989 she was selected to participate in the Young Musicians World Orchestra as a violinist, becoming the first Cuban in history to be accepted for this event. In 1992 she became part of the prestigious orchestra of the Cabaret Tropicana in Havana, Cuba, as a keyboard player. Along with Iván Martínez, she served as musical director of the band Cuestión Seria, which won the 1995 Novel Orchestra Award in Cuba. In 1997 she was the producer, musical arranger, and pianist of the CD Amante Solo Yo by Dikan and Cuestión Seria. The song Hice Por Ti reached fourth place on the New York Hit Parade of Latin Beat Magazine. For three years she performed as a violinist with the Nuevo León Symphony Orchestra and was a violin professor at the Instituto Superior de Música in Monterrey, Mexico. In 1999, Mariela moved to the United States, where she worked as a musical director, arranger, pianist, violinist, and teacher in Dallas. She became a founding member of Havana NRG! in 2002 and currently serves as the band's Musical Director, pianist, and manager.