Brianna Gurciullo

WALLINGFORD – Tr e s hermanos, tres violines y una noche de musica .

The Villalobos Brothers, three violinists from New York City, will perform this week at a fundraiser for the Spanish Community of Wallingford.

The local organization will hold the “Noche de Musica” at the Paul Mellon Center on Choate Rosemary Hall’s campus Saturday. A reception begins at 6:30 p.m., and the concert kicks off at 7:30 p.m.

The singer-songwriters are Ernesto, Alberto and Luis Villalobos – ages 31, 30 and 29, respectively – who play keyboard, jarana, vihuela and guitarrón in addition to the violin. They have performed at venues and events such as Carnegie Hall, Rockefeller Center, the U.N. 60th Anniversary Gala and the Latin Grammy Awards.

Alberto Villalobos said he and his brothers share a background in classical music, but they also incorporate Son Jarocho, a musical style from Veracruz, Mexico, and New York “flavors” of jazz, rock and blues into their music.

“Classical music can be really square sometimes,” Villalobos said. “But I remember (the band’s guitarist once) said there are only two kinds of music: good music and all the other stuff. So I really identify myself with that statement. At this point, for us, we do several genres of music and we really blend them together.”

The brothers compose arrangements that allow them to harmonize and take turns with solos. Villalobos described the group as “restless,” always searching for new ideas and techniques.

Some of their pieces are based on Mexican folk music. Villalobos said the group takes themes from traditional songs then adds melodies and lyrics to create an original effect.

Ernesto Villalobos, the oldest brother, created his own style of fiddling called fast-chatting violin, which consists of notes and percussive sounds that imitate the human voice.

“I think out of the three of us he’s not the most creative, but definitely the craziest one,” Alberto Villalobos said. “It’s a really tricky technique. You need to be careful, but at the same time, you have to let it go.”

Maria Harlow, SCOW’s executive director, said she first saw the Villalobos Brothers perform two years ago, in concert at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

“They’re full of energy. The way they play those violins is just absolutely remarkable,” she said, adding that the three men’s looks didn’t hurt their performance.

Harlow invited the brothers to play in Wallingford last summer, when SCOW celebrated its 40th anniversary. The event was the organization’s largest fundraiser at the time. Harlow said the audience, many of whom were unfamiliar with the songs, gave the brothers glowing reviews.

Alberto Villalobos said the trio would include more songs this year, playing a full set with six other musicians.

The Mariachi Academy of Connecticut, the only mariachi school in New England, will open for the brothers. Based at SCOW, the traveling group features musicians 6 to 17 years old.

Harlow said the organization’s music program offers youth the opportunity to “reconnect with their culture, their language, their heritage.” Founders established SCOW, which receives most of its financial support from state grants, to champion Hispanic culture and help a growing population of Spanish speakers adjust to life in the U.S.

Alberto Villalobos said he, Ernesto and Luis were raised in Veracruz, on the eastern coast of Mexico, where all three went to college and earned bachelor’s degrees in music.

“Music, since the beginning, was the main activity we had at home growing up,” he said, adding that he and his brothers took up music lessons at 3 and 4 years old.

The three split after undergraduate school for advanced music studies abroad. The U.S. State Department awarded Ernesto a Fulbright Grant to study at the Manhattan School of Music in 2000. Luis moved to Europe three years later to study in Germany and Austria.

Alberto studied violin at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels from 2002 to 2005, and also studied in Switzerland. The brothers reunited in New York City in 2005, and have released several albums.

They recorded their most recent, “Aliens of Extraordinary Ability,” in Stamford last year, naming the album after a visa the U.S. grants to noncitizens who can demonstrate extraordinary career achievements. They plan to head to the studio to work on a new album before the end the year.

The trio won the Battle of the Boroughs competition last month in New York, outscoring 12 other up-andcomers. Prizes included a professional photo shoot, a music video shoot and the chance to play at The Greene Space and the Apollo Theatre’s Amateur Night.

New York radio hosts and award-winning artists judged the fourth annual contest, in which the Villalobos brothers represented Manhattan. Alberto Villalobos said Harlow, asked local residents to vote for the brothers, had a hand in the group’s victory.

“They’re really talented and once you experience that, you want the entire world to see it,” said Harlow, who promoted the group on Facebook and through email.

Alberto Villalobos said he would like to make the Paul Mellon Arts Center an annual destination for the band. Tickets for Saturday’s show cost $25 per person. A limited number of backstage passes – which include reserved parking and seating, an autographed CD and a chance to meet the brothers – are available for $100.

bgurciullo@recordjournal. com (203) 317-2231

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New York violin trio to play at Saturday SCOW fundraiser

Brianna Gurciullo