I always wanted to go further , pursuing my dreams

100 personalities of the country were interviewed for the Special Edition -100th Anniversary of the newspaper Diario Panorama from Maracaibo.

Clara Rodríguez:

“I have been playing the piano since I was seven , my mother is very musical and it was her who encouraged me to study music; in my house there was an upright piano and she sat with me to teach me the notes and then she took me to the Conservatory of Music Juan Jose Landaeta in Caracas, where I learnt solfege, piano, harmony and counterpoint.

I have been living in England for 25 years . When you are a musician your north is always going to your instrument , in my case the piano. That means making great sacrifices , not only as a person but also in relation to your family.

I always wanted to go further , pursuing my dreams, and I did not stop. At 17, I won a scholarship in a competition to come to the Royal College of Music in London.

It was a shock to get to London . I was very sad and nostalgic, the distance was so great , being away from my loved ones, all I knew and I also had to face a new language and a new culture , but fortunately the British welcomed me with such warmth from the beginning and always made me feel good, that’s the reason I’m still here!

The hardest thing, no doubt, was leaving my family and friends ; in fact, when I return to Venezuela I can not help but cry my eyes out still when I say goodbye to my mom, sister, nephew, aunt, at the airport.

I’m a bit of Venezuela in England, I “wear” my country inside and outside , I try to go twice a year , the last time I went I brought back bananas, guavas , mangoes and avocados , to give a Venezuelan touch to the English cuisine.

In all my concerts there is at least one Venezuelan piece . They have been heard in the United States ; in European countries like Italy, France , Spain and exotic lands as India , Tunisia, Syria, and Egypt.

I have over 150 Venezuelan pieces recorded on discs.The public expect me to always play theJoropo by Moises Moleiro ; and Pajarillo by Luisa Elena Paesano . I teach piano at the Royal College Of Music JD London , one of the best schools in the world ; I teach very gifted students, that is a privilege.”

Clara Rodríguez played on July 31, 2014 at the Center for Social Action Hall  in Caracas with the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra .