Llaca-Cruz Duo

Antonio Llaca

Antonio Llaca, classical guitarist and choral conductor, was born in Havana, Cuba. At an early age leaves his native country and travels to Venezuela where he began his musical studies. He took classical guitar with maestro Ramon Arroyo and later on with maestro Luis Zea in the city of Caracas. He also studied Venezuelan cuatro and mandolin with Dennys Bolivar in El Tigre. Hi passion for folkloric music has led him to undertake research projects concerning the music of Latin America.

In 2002 Antonio moved to Canada where he continued his musical education at the University of Ottawa. There he took classical guitar with maestro Patrick Roux. He also studied choral conducting with Laurence Ewashko and worked as his choral assistant. Antonio continues an active career in music; presently he conducts the Sagrada Familia Choral Ensemble and has performed at important venues in the city of Ottawa such as Jazz, Blues and Folk festival and Opera under the Stars among others.

Marlene Cruz

Born in Mexico City, Marlene started her formal musical education at the “Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila”. In 2001 she moved to Canada to finish her studies and obtained a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Music from Bishop’s University, where she studied composition with Canadian composers Stewart Grant and Andrew Paul MacDonald (1995 Juno Award for “Best Classical Composition”). She also continued her education in violin, and piano.

In the year 2000 she obtained a Choral Conductor Diploma from CONACULTA (National Council for Culture and Arts in México). From 2005 until 2007 she worked as a coral conductor for the Italian-Canadian Youth formation centre’s children choir in Ottawa.

She has been participant of “San Miguel de Allende’s international Chamber Music Festival”, in which she had the opportunity of taking master classes with international musicians such as: The Ying Quartet, St. Petersburg strings quartet, Cuarteto Casals, among others.
Her main interests are music education, composition and chamber music.