Luca Vaillancourt & Los Pescadores

When I stood on stage at the Muziekgieterij in Maastricht for my graduation concert — the first time presenting the music of my debut album project Luca Vaillancourt y Los Pescadores — I felt a door quietly open. After four years of studying jazz guitar, that evening felt like the moment when all the sketches, dreams, and long nights of work began to take shape in front of a real audience.
The support of GAVE transformed that concert from a fleeting night into a lasting beginning. Thanks to your help, we could professionally record and film the performance — capturing not only sound and image, but the emotion and energy that defined that day. It’s one thing to play for friends, family and mentors; it’s another
to hold in your hands a recording that lets your music travel far beyond the walls where it was first performed.
Your contribution made that possible, and for that I am deeply grateful.
Beyond the practical support, your trust in the project gave me confidence. It told me that what I was doing mattered — not only to me or my school, but also within the broader cultural landscape of the Netherlands, a country I have come to respect deeply and where I have found a sense of home and artistic purpose.
By financing the recording and editing, GAVE helped me take a decisive step — from being a student to working as a professional musician. With those recordings, I could reach festivals, promoters, and institutions, building a foundation for what would become my career. I created a visual and sonic portfolio that reflected the care and artistic vision behind the project, and that opened many doors since.
From that moment, everything began to move forward. I started receiving concert offers, expanding my network, and collaborating across borders — including with our videographer Daniel Gronsfeld who travelled from Aachen, Germany, to capture the concert. These videos became essential tools for promotion, presentation, and inspiration. They are not just archives, but living material — I still use them in press kits, social media, and professional networking with bookers and festivals.

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It was also deeply meaningful for me that this project was born in the Netherlands. This country has been my base and my springboard — the place where I tested my ideas, found my voice, and met the extraordinary musicians who became my partners in this journey: Arturo Ramirez Hintze, Gustavo Jaramillo Pimentel,
Gabriel Montenegro Perini, and Felipe Aguilera. The latter three came from the Maastricht Conservatory, and Felipe from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Together, we created the first version of a music that has since continued to grow.
GAVE’s involvement carried symbolic weight. Beyond the financial help, it represented recognition — a validation that encouraged me to take my place within the Dutch and international music scene with confidence.

This project was not just a graduation performance; it was the first stone in a long bridge I had been building throughout my studies — a bridge between learning and doing, between the academic and the professional, between dream and reality. I always wanted to create a sustainable artistic project that would live beyond the
walls of the school, and GAVE’s support gave me the means to make that ambition real.
Since that concert, I went to the studio and recorded the very same repertoire, which has now become my debut album, Cantes transatlánticos, released on June 27, 2025. The project grew into a full album of six original compositions — printed on CD, distributed digitally, and accompanied by a marketing campaign that continues
to unfold. We are performing concerts, sharing this music with new audiences, and developing plans for the next stages — perhaps even a second album in the future.
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Looking back, I see that the concert at Muziekgieterij was the true beginning — the moment when the project took flight. Without GAVE’s support, it would have remained an ephemeral event; with your help, it became the
seed of a professional life. For me, that means everything.
Thank you for believing in this music, and for helping me carry it into the world.

The support of GAVE fonds allowed me to capture a turning point — the first live performance of my project Luca Vaillancourt y Los Pescadores at the Muziekgieterij in Maastricht. Thanks to their help, this concert was recorded in full, both in sound and image, becoming the seed from which my debut album "Cantes Transatlánticos" grew.
What began as a student concert in the Netherlands turned into the foundation of my professional journey: videos and recordings that opened doors to festivals, collaborations, and new audiences. GAVE’s trust gave me confidence to take my place in the Dutch and international scene. Their support transformed one evening of music into the beginning of a career — a memory that continues to resonate in every note I play.
Since then, "Cantes Transatlánticos" has been released on June 27, 2025, reaching new listeners and stages. We have printed CDs, launched a dedicated campaign, and continue performing across borders with the same ensemble that first came together for that GAVE-supported concert. What was once a single performance has become a living, evolving project — proof that even a small act of support can echo far beyond its moment, carrying music and gratitude forward.

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