Born in Trinidad and Tobago with Venezuelan roots, siblings Xiomara, Xavier and Xiera Pereira Castillo decided to honour the culture of both countries through a musical instrument of great tradition – the cuatro.
The three live in Gasparillo with their parents Julio, a Venezuelan migrant who arrived in TT many years ago, and their mother Marsha, a Trinidadian also in love with Venezuelan culture.
[caption id="attachment_1084250" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The Pereira Castilla family is one of thousands that share Trini-Venezuelan roots. - GREVIC ALVARADO[/caption]
The siblings' passion is music and the cuatro is their favourite instrument. They decided to start studying music and the cuatro in early 2023 at the Santa Cecilia orchestra project in Diego Martin. However, in October 2023, they switched to the La Casita music school in Arima.
Xiomara, 17, and Xavier, 15, made their first official performance in the junior parang competition of the National Parang Association as part of the La Casita children's band in November 2023.
[caption id="attachment_1084249" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The Pereira Castillo siblings are learning different musical rhythms with the cuatro, guided by teacher Eduardo Rivas at La Casita of Arima. - GREVIC ALVARADO[/caption]
“It was a great experience to go on stage and play music in Spanish. It made us feel proud to represent two countries,” Xavier said.
They also performed at Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA) for International Children's Day and at the La Casita Christmas concert in December as well as at other community events.
“The cuatro is a cultural instrument that allows us to learn about our roots because it is a tradition in Venezuela and is part of the TT parang,” Xiomara said.
[caption id="attachment_1084248" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Xiomara, Xavier and Xiera are part of the La Casita of Arima music school, where they share with Venezuelan children despite not speaking Spanish. - GREVIC ALVARADO[/caption]
She is the only one of the three who speaks a little Spanish.
Julio, her father, said they like to play the different rhythms of Venezuelan aguinaldo and polo margariteño and TT parang.
Xiomara wants to learn to play the violin, Xavier the guitar and Xiera, nine, the cello.
Right now they are learning pieces of waltzes, boleros and boleros rancheros with Prof Eduardo Rivas.
They are also part of the cadets of the Red Cross and the choir of the Tortuga parish church in Gasparillo.
Having parents from different cultures leads them to live different cultural experiences at home. But they generally learn about Venezuelan culture through music.
“Although we don't speak Spanish, we coexist in the best way with it. It is a benefit for us to have two cultures,” Xiomara said. They believe at some point TT will be a bilingual country.
Xiera said she loves going to La Casita and learning not only music, but also sharing with other children in the Spanish-speaking community.
In 2023, Xiera was the image of La Casita at
