JORGE ENRIQUE DEL RIVERO

Jorge Enrique del Rivero was born in Havana, Cuba, and has called Miami, Florida his home for the past 35 years. His interest in music was evident when at age 3, seated on his mother's lap, he would play the piano using both hands. He learned the notes and the keys before he had even learned the alphabet. At the age of 5 his parents took him to the Havana Conservatory of Music where, although he was accepted at such a young age, the family's plans to flee the communist country prevented him from being enrolled. In 1966 his family emigrated to the United States, and joined the many Cuban refugees then arriving in Miami. With his artistic abilities flourishing, Jorge Enrique always looked for opportunities to get involved in all sorts of school shows, musicals, concerts and even in recitals at home for family and friends which he himself put together. All this before ever having taken a single music lesson. With great effort and sacrifice his parents bought him an old upright piano when he was 11 years old, and he began to study piano. He finished the 7 year studies in 5 years, and was ready for college at age 16. Under the guidance of his piano teacher, Francisco Javier Muller, pianist of The Miami Philharmonic, he auditioned for a scholarship at the University of Miami School of Music and was accepted. There he studied under renowned pianist Ivan Davis. But there was a little flame burning in Jorge Enrique's heart. A flame the Lord had placed there from the moment he was conceived. Searching for ways to feed that flame he joined the youth group of his parish, and at age 14 went to his first encounter retreat. There he heard something that forever changed his life; the same kind of modern music he heard on the radio but with religious lyrics. Wow! Jorge Enrique had discovered his vocation. To write and sing songs for the Lord. Since then Jorge Enrique has been continuously involved with music ministry in the Archdiocese of Miami with uninterrupted service to the church for over 25 years. He was a member of Coral Cubana in the 70's, and belonged to several church choirs throughout the city. In 1980 he co-founded the musical group Soirée, pioneers of contemporary Latin Christian music in South Florida who went on to win the prestigious Miami OTI Song Festival in 1983 with a song he wrote for the Lord. As a singer/songwriter as well as musical director, pianist, vocalist, arranger, director and producer, he has participated in numerous recordings, and released his own solo album titled "Eres Libre" (You Are Free) in 1998. His work of evangelization through music has taken him to several countries where he has been invited to share his music and his love for the Lord. He has been a guest artist in Hosanna (Orlando, Florida), Convivencia (Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico), Marian Conference (Cancun, Mexico), Multifestival David (Spain), Conferencia Carismatica (Miami, Florida), Feria Catolica (Guatemala), Musical (Ponce, Puerto Rico), among others. Currently Jorge Enrique is a member of Grupo Alianza, a Latin music group consisting of musicians from several Latin-American countries who also serve in the Spanish-language mass at St. Louis Catholic Church in South Miami Sunday nights at 7:45. He is also a graduate of the Archdioceses of Miami School of Lay Ministry, and is a founding member of the life-base community Cor Gesu. He has recently embarked on a concert tour he hopes will allow him to bring his anointed music and unique religious experience to the parish communities throughout South Florida and abroad.