Caminemos Con María: The People, the Grant, the Supporters
A Collaboration
Yuri Rodriguez, Daniel Duarte, Petar Jankovic, and Stephany Cohen have been playing in the midwest area for more than 8 years. They are all alumni of the Jacobs School of Music, at Indiana University, and they have provided the musical base for the Coro Latinoamericano, a volunteer based group, that has led Spanish worship at Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis, for over 20 years. As a group, they led worship for the 2018 bi-annual Latino/Hispanic Ministry Conference of TEC, Nuevo Amanecer, in Kanuga. They were invited to lead the Music for Opening Eucharist for the 80th General Convention. They formed the Worship with Bravery Ensemble in 2020, with a grant from Becoming Beloved Community, with the support of the Diocese of Indianapolis to provide digital access to diverse and non-traditional music for online worship through the Pandemic.
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The People
A Collaboration in Harmony
Stephany Cohen
Percussionisty, arranger
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Laura Stephany Cohen is a passionate classical and Latin percussionist from Cali, Colombia. She performs and teaches around the Bloomington-Indianapolis areas. Her versatility allows her to perform and teach drum set, classical/solo percussion and Latin percussion/commercial music. She has played percussion professionally with IU faculty members, including Descarga + 5 Latin Jazz and the Daniel & Petar Guitar Duo. At a young age, she enrolled at the Cali Conservatory, studying percussion, guitar, and piano. She holds an MM and a BM in Percussion Performance from Indiana University and Eastern Illinois University. Laura has won several music scholarships/competitions, including the Eastern Symphonic Orchestra concerto competition and the Avedis Zildjian Scholarship. Some of her teachers include Michael Spiro, Steve Houghton, John Tafoya and Kevin Bobo.
Daniel Duarte
Instrumentalist, video/audio producer
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Daniel Duarte is lecturer in music in guitar at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
He is an active guitarist, arranger, conductor and lecturer who has collected prizes in several guitar and chamber music competitions in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. Duarte is also a multi-instrumentalist who performs on different types of guitars and as a flutist.
Duarte's primary studies were with guitarist Henrique Pinto, followed by William Buonocore, Eliot Fisk and Ernesto Bitetti. He earned his D.M. at Indiana University while focusing his academic research on the topic of Multiculturalism and Guitar Music. During his doctoral studies, Duarte had his research supported by the Presser Foundation as a recipient of the outstanding graduate music student award. His academic work also lead Marshall University to award him the Joan C. Edwards Distinguished Professor of Arts award.
Petar Jankovic
Instrumentalist
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Petar Jankovic is lecturer in music (guitar) at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
He began his guitar studies at age eight in Serbia, where he later earned a degree in classical guitar from the renowned Belgrade Music Academy. While in Serbia, he won two gold medals, a silver medal, and two bronze medals at the National Music Competition. At age 16, he delivered his first professional performance, and by age 20, the Community College in Belgrade invited him to share his expertise with beginning classical guitar students. This marked the beginning of a distinguished teaching career that has developed alongside his successful performing career.
He went on to earn a master’s degree from the Jacobs School of Music, and in the mid-90s, the school invited him to pursue an Artist Diploma under the guidance of Ernesto Bitetti. Still dedicated to sharing his talent through both performing and teaching, Jankovic developed a guitar program at Franklin College (Ind.) in 1997 and taught at the University of Indianapolis Music Department from 1999 to 2006.
Jankovic has released five albums, the most recent two with string quartet and guitar ensemble.
Yuri Rodriguez, lead singer, theologian, arranger.
About Yuri Rodriguez
Yuriria (Yuri) Rodríguez , T’23, is a candidate from the Diocese of Indianapolis, in the School of Theology’s master of divinity program, seeking ordination as a priest. She is a native Costa Rican singer, artist, and educator, who specializes in Latin American music and culture. For the past 20 years, Yuri has offered performances of Latin American music, music of Latin American women composers, and Latin American folklore. She has focused on genres like: Nueva Canción, Protest Song, Latin American folklore, Tango, Salsa, Ranchero song and Latin Jazz. She currently sings with the Schola Cantorum of the School of Theology at Sewanee, and with the Worship with Bravery Ensemble. In 2013 Rodriguez graduated from the masters in music program, also at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. As a member of El Taller there, she had the opportunity to share the stage with prominent guest musicians and Jacobs School of Music faculty, such as Grammy Award winners Pablo Ziegler, Pablo Aslan, Michael Spiro, Gonzalo Grau and Sylvia McNair. Reviews have praised Rodríguez as a singer “with a beautiful voice which recalls a force of nature” (Herald Times, Bloomington, Indiana).
The Grant, The Supporters
Yuri Rodriguez is a grant receipient of Episcopal Evangelism Society (EES). With their support, and with the support of Sewanee School of Theology, All Saints Chapel at the University of the South, and St. Augustine's Chapel at Vanderbilt University, they will present Caminemos con María in Tennessee this Fall 2022.
