User:CLMusic/sandbox

= Claudio Urdaneta =

Claudio Urdaneta (September 04, 1986) is a professional guitarist, songwriter, producer and filmmaker from Valencia - Venezuela, who now resides in Miami, FL. with more than 20 years of experience. Whether performing live or in the studio, he’s most known for his ability to play in different settings, different styles of music, and amazing stage presence. He has toured in the USA, Canada, Latin America, and Europe and worked as a guitarist in the studio with several pop stars, gospel artists and many more renown artists in the industry.

His understated style of guitar playing stamp his signature in every project where he plays, Claudio Urdaneta is distinguished by chiming timbres, use of rhythmic delay, drone notes, harmonics, and an extensive use of effects units.

He also has been recognized for his creativity to take pictures around the world and be a content creator.

Personal Life
Claudio grew up in Valencia, Venezuela. There, he attended Middle School and graduated from Sagrado Corazon de Jesus School. Claudio's father, Antonio Urdaneta is a bussinesman from Caracas, Venezuela, and his mother, Giselle Barrientos, is from Sonsonate, El Salvador. He has an older sister. Part of his childhood was spent in Venezuela, then he lived in El Salvador for a couple of years, returning to his native country Venezuela in 1993. Claudio moved to the city of Miami FL in 2016.

Claudio married his wife in Miami FL, Luisa Maggioni, on Jan 18, 2022. The couple had an intimate wedding with family and close friends, they were married by the lead pastor of the renowned VOUS Church in Miami FL, Pastor Rich Wilkerson Jr. who also married celebrities as Kim Kardashian and Kayne West, Camilo and Evaluna Montaner.

Carrer
His beginnings were when his maternal grandmother who knew how to play the guitar and sing began to teach him his first chords, he was always very curious about musical sounds and instruments, he was part of his high school band where he was part of the drum line, he played trumpet, timbales, piano and explored multiple instruments, but the guitar was always his passion. it was not until 1999 when he formally began his musical studies at the Valencia Institute of Music (TMV) in Venezuela where he graduated as Guitarist. After this, he studied abroad in the city of Chicago, IL. in the United States, specializing in styles such as Gospel, Jazz, R&B and more.

Upon returning, he continued to expand his experience playing in different concerts for local and international artists who toured Venezuela and formed bands with local musicians. The following years he played a lot of gospel music in a Christian church, recording in multiple gospel music projects and albums in the USA and Venezuela.

In 2013 Claudio and his friend and producer Julio Castellanos formed a Christian alternative rock band called JEF, (Jovenes en Fuego or Young On Fire in English), releasing their first live album entitled (Yo Cuento Para Dios), this album was recorded on their first concert in front of more than 10,000 people and had a DVD.

After a national tour in Venezuela and visiting important media outlets, in 2014 they released their second album (La Revolucion de Jesus), an album that internationalized their careers after a great success, visiting important radio stations and and performing in TV shows as Super Sabado Sensacional in the most important national channel in Venezuela called Venevisión, where well known celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, The Jackson 5, Backstreet Boys, Bon Jovi, Earth Wind and Fire, Shakira, Menudo, Ricky Martin and many more have participated. Claudio has had the opportunity to work alongside Michael Franti and Spearhead, Prince Royce, Aloec Blacc, Chino & Nacho, Carin Leon, Julio Iglesias Jr., Jay Wheeler, Marcos Witt, Ingrid Rosario, JEF Music, Vous Worship, L+U, and many more renown artists in the industry. He has also participated in prestigious awards such as the Latin Grammy Awards, Latin American Music Awards, Premio Lo Nuestro, Premios Juventud, and appeared on TV shows such as Despierta America (Univision), Hoy Día (Telemundo), and En Casa Con Telemundo (Telemundo).

From 2019 to 2021, Claudio was the lead guitarist for the band VOUS Worship of the mega-church in Miami FL, VOUS Church. Claudio put his amazing tone and creativity in their 4 albums, I NEED REVIVAL (Live Album), AVIVAMIENTO (Live Album) , I MET JESUS IN MIAMI (Live Album) , WHEN HOPE WAS BORN (Christmas EP), and many singles that had significant exposure, reaching more than 10M views on streaming platforms.

Claudio is currently the guitarist for top-selling and top-chart artist Michael Franti and Spearhead, with whom he performed at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in 2022 (sold out show), the BottleRock Napa Valley Music Festival 2022 as a headliner with P!NK in front of 50,000 people, BeachLife Festival 2022 as a headliner with The Smashing Pumpkins in front of 20,000 people, and many other distinguished venues and sold-out concerts in the USA and Canada.

He is currently on a tour called Follow You Heart World Tour with Michael Franti & Spearhead with more than 100 shows in the USA, Canada in 2022 and they will be continue the tour in Europe at the beginning of 2023. Claudio is also working on a full album for his duo L+U, with his wife Luisa Maggioni and they announced in interviews that the album will be released in 2023.

Carrer Highlights

 * in 2013, The first concert of his band JEF was a sold out with more than 10,000 people where they recorded a live album and a DVD called Yo Cuento Para Dios.
 * In 2015, Claudio broke a record with his band at the time “JEF” by performing a full concert in front of more than 500,000 people in Valencia, Venezuela, in an event that Claudio produced himself. This major event opened the door for him to tour throughout South America, Central America, and the United States.
 * in 2017, Claudio consolidated his career as a music producer with more than 10 years in the entertainment industry.
 * In 2021, Claudio played at the reunited of the duo Chino y Nacho at the Billboards awards.
 * In 2022, Claudio played with Michael Franti & Spearhead at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater in a sold out concert with more than 10,000 people.
 * In 2022, Claudio played the BottleRock Napa Valley Music Festival 2022 with Michael Franti & Spearhead as a headliner with P!NK in front of 50,000 people