ABOUT US

The ALMENAR OTERO FOUNDATION was established in Caracas, Venezuela, on April 20, 1989 by Carlos Almenar Otero (1926-2018) and Maritza Salcedo. The Foundation was created after Carlos Almenar Otero, also known as “El Maestro de la Voz” (The Master of the Voice), who felt a great desire to help the talented, but inadequately educated population of young singers in Venezuela. During its early days, the Foundation’s main goal was to help young singers develop their natural singing abilities. To achieve its goal, the Foundation built a “School of Talent” to teach students the art of vocal and lyrical expressions through an ingenious method that El Maestro himself developed. Soon, after some years of outstanding success, the Foundation expanded its goals and raised funds to help students produce their first demo records, which assisted them in starting their professional careers.

Few years after the Foundation’s inception, as a clear sign of success, private entities, non-profit organizations and state governments offered to provide funding to the institution. With greater capacity and outreach, Carlos Almenar Otero expanded the Foundation’s School of Talent into a broader space, offering workshops on the arts of singing, music, speech and motivation. The Foundation’s new goal was to stimulate the development of students from various art disciplines and also provide a service to the communities by teaching and sponsoring talented students.

On July 16, 2004, the Almenar Otero Foundation was established in the United States  as a non-profit organization (501(c) 3) to provide the same benefits to youth in the U.S.

Today, the Foundation’s President and Director, Maritza Salcedo, organizes concerts in social venues, nursing homes, and local government institutions within the U.S. where the Foundation’s sponsored artists have the opportunity to feature their art and share experiences with the community. Artists of all types –  such as poets, writers, and painters – are actively involved in these activities.