This year's Festival theme, El Espíritu del Cuatro, is aimed at highlighting the many positive feelings the Cuatro music expresses for all of us to enjoy. For many the sound of the cuatro conjures nostalgic feeling of Puerto Rico. For others the music creates a feeling of family and friendship bonds. Hence, it is the intent for this year 2005 to express that this is indeed The Spirit of the Cuatro and you will be also captivated by the music.

Since 1998, the PRAA has been producing the Cuatro Festival, which has undoubtedly grown to be the largest Puerto Rican cultural event in the Midwest region. Chicago experienced its first Cuatro Festival at Roberto Clemente High School with an attending audience of 723 people. Subsequent Cuatro Festivals, held at the Field Museum of Chicago and the Copernicus Center, all experienced sold out audiences.

The legendary Chicago Theatre has allowed the Festival to establish a centrally located home for a diverse and growing audience that exists throughout the Chicago Metropolitan area and neighboring states. This year the event is estimated to have a total audience reach of 7,500.

Telemundo, Chicago Park District, Illinois Arts Council, Northern Trust, American Airlines, Univision Chicago, Dominick's, Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Goya, Banco Popular, and La Raza Newspaper

Exelon is honored to be a major sponsor for the third year in a row of the Annual Puerto Rican Cuatro Festival. The Festival is an outstanding celebration of the Puerto Rican culture and its music. It provides an excellent opportunity for everyone to appreciate the rich history and culture of Puerto Rico and to enjoy the creativity and virtuosity of its musicians. We salute the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance for its outstanding efforts to promote cultural identity among the diverse members of our community.

John W. Rowe
Chairman, President and CEO, Exelon

Chicago Theatre. The Chicago Theatre is located at 175 N. State Street.

Quique Doménech was born June 6, 1974 in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico. His parents are Hector E. Doménech Valle and Helen Avilés Abreu. He has a younger sister named Yvette. Quique attended Sacred Hearts College in Guaynabo were he began his musical career when he joined the choir group Corazones Unidos in 1980. It was then when he first stepped into a recording studio and recorded a Christmas album with the choir.

Quique started playing the Cuatro at the age of six. He studied under Mr. Manuel Morgado for two years in Bayamón. In 1985 he starts studying musical theory at the Cultural Institute of Puerto Rico. After graduating he joins the Cuarto Orchestra under the guidance of maestro Francisco López Cruz. He goes on to graduate from the Escuela Superiror del Colegio Marista of Guaynabo in 1992. It was there he joined the group "Renacer Campesino" which he was part of for 10 years.

In 1994 he, along with others, appeared on the musical soundtrack for the motion picture, Guagua Aérea, which was about Cuatrista Luis Molina. In addition to being able to play the Puerto Rican Cuatro, Quique is a talented young man and also plays guitar, el tres cubano, bass guitar and the Venezuelan Cuatro.

At only 30 years of age, Quique has performed with the following artists: Vicente Carattini y Los Cantores, Danny Rivera, Pedro Guzmán, Luis Miranda, Edwin Colón Zayas, Hossanas de Borinquen, Elías Lopés, Los Hispanos, Andrés Jimenez, Ismael Miranda, Ruben Blades and many, many other talented and well know artists.

In 1997, Quique accomplishes one of his goals by recording and releasing his first instrumental CD under the CDT Records Label. This was Quique's first solo project which featured many classic songs by Puerto Rican composers (including Quique) with new arrangements. With this CD he earns the name – "Refrescante."

Also under the CDT label, Quique produces the CD "Aqui me quedo." He performed this CD before a live crowd at the Luis A. Ferré Fine Arts Center. The performance was recorded and broadcast on WIPR in November of 1997.

In 1998 Quique's group Renacer Campesino breaks up and he continues as a solo artist. He goes on to record and release his CD, "Evolución" for the Disco Hit label in 2000. He later records and releases "Ampliado Horizontes," his first CD under his own label, aptly called, QD Music in 2002.

Quique has appeared as a guest on CD's by other artists such as Humberto Ramírez, José "Furito" Ríos and Danny Rivera. Quique also produced the Tony Croatto y Quique Doménech CD, En Armonía, which earned him his first Tú Música award in 2004. He is a 2005 Grammy Nominee for his latest cd entitled Homenaje a Luis Miranda, "El Pico de Oro" for Best Folkloric Music.

Born on July 31, 1965 in the Castañer neighborhood in the town of Lares, he holds a Bachelor’s in Music Education from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico and for the past fifteen years been an instructor for the Puerto Rican Department of Education.

In 1990 he won first prize in the Cuarto Competition organized by the Puerto Rican Cultural Institute. He is a composer, arranger and is a currently a professor in the Department of Popular Music at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico -Metropolitan Campus.

He has managed many musical groups of great prestige. Among the groups he managed were Andrés Jimenéz’s “El Jibaro” for two years as well as the Victor Manuel Reyes Group. He has also worked with Tony Croatto, Lucesita Benítez, Danny Rivera, Luisito Morales also known as “El Montañero,” and Arturo Santiago – father and son.

He has recorded a CD with ten songs that captured his love for the nature and lifestyle of the campesinos.

Tavín Pumarejo was born in the Rio Canas barrio of Caguas, Puerto Rico on October 12, 1933. His neighbor was well known and respected singer Flor Morales Ramos "Ramito." Ramito was a musical inspiration for Tavín.

Tavín worked for the Rorer Company for 40 years as a promoter for the company's medical division. He combined his job and his musical abilities on the widely popular Puerto Rican noontime television show "El Show de las 12" (The Show at 12) that was produced by Paquito Cordero Productions. The show ran on Telemundo for 4 decades (1965-2005).

Tavín also spent time working with José Miguel Class (El Gallito de Manati) on a television show broadcast by Teleonce. He also cohosted the comedy segment on a program called "Dale que dale en domingo."

During his musical career, Tavín has recorded 18 albums which were recorded with Conjuto Quisqueya, De parranda con Tavín y sus pleneros del Quinto Olivo and Homenaje a Luis Miranda. While with Homenaje a Luis Miranda, Tavín was invited to take part in a mega concert recording at the Puerto Rican Fine Arts Center. He shared the bill with great artists such as Danny Rivera, Antonio Caban Vale, Eduardo Villanueva, Fernando Sanabria and Quique Doménech (Cuatrista and producer of the album).

Outside of Puerto Rico, Tavín has performed in many U.S. cities such as Chicago, New York and others. He has appeared stateside with many internationally known Puerto Rican artists such as Lucesita Benitez, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico y Adalberto Rodríguez.

Currently Tavín is working on the television program "Así Canta Puerto Rico" broadcasted by WIPR-PBS de Puerto Rico. Tavín and his wife have two daughters and two beautiful nephews. Tavín lives in Guaynabo and says he likes yucca and the malanaga "strike!"

Eduardo Villanueva-Serrano is the son of Puerto Rican National Troubadour, José Miguel Villanueva also known as Son of the Muses.

At the age of six, Eduardo debuted with Troubadour Elías Lopez. He then began singing with his father and later with his brother Ricardo. At eleven years of age he began composing music. At sixteen, Eduardo started entering troubadour competitions throughout the island. One such competition was hosted by the Puerto Rican Department of Education in which he won first place in the categories of singing, composition, improvisation and poetry.

As an eighteen year old he entered the National Troubadour Contest hosted by the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture. Eduardo won the event that made him the youngest National Troubadour of Puerto Rico. He has performed with many great renowned musicians and in December of 2002 appeared as Special Guest Artist on the 40th anniversary concert of the Gran Combo de Puerto Rico at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum.

Since then he has been involved in various projects with artists such as Sammy Marrero, El Gran Combo, Domingo Quiñones and Vico C. He has also recorded with Antonio Cabán Vale “El Topo”, Danny Rivera, Andrés Jiménez and with Tony Croatto - including the Homenaje al Pico de Oro CD which was nominated for a Latin Grammy this year. His more recent work is on the Banco Popular Christmas 2005 CD. Eduardo has traveled internationally to participate in Tourbadour festivals in the United States, Chile, Spain, Cuba, among other countries.

Now at the age 25, Eduardo Villanueva is known as a musician, composer, singer and as The National Troubadour of Puerto Rico.

The First Chicago Cuatro Orchestra was founded in 1996 by Music Express, Inc, a private music school and store. It began as the dream of two Puerto Rican brothers, Orlando and David Rivera, the professional music teachers who direct this orchestra. The Cuatro is a plucked string instrument, similar to a guitar, with a traced history of more than 300 years. Generally melodic, it has five pairs of strings, tuned to the same note in unison or octave. Founded with the goal of providing free Cuatro classes to the community, the purpose of this orchestra is to educate people about the historical significance of Puerto Rico's national instrument, to teach technique for learning a basic repertoire, and to create a festival promoting and preserving Puerto Rican cultural traditions in the U.S. by engaging younger generations to participate in this rich cultural legacy.

Among other important cultural venues, the Orchestra has performed at: the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Center, the Chicago Historical Society, the Field Museum of Chicago, the Chicago Children's Museum, the Chicago Cultural Center, the Copernicus Center, and the Old Town School of Folk Music. Working in partnership with the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Public Schools, Music Express, Inc., and the Puerto Rican Arts alliance are offering free Cuatro and Spanish guitar classes to the Humboldt Park community. The future plan is to duplicate these Cuatro programs in different cities of the U.S.A. and to create an educational network. With this network in place, Music Express, Inc. will train qualified music teachers and will expand the program across the United States, creating The U.S. National Cuatro Orchestra.

Tony Martinez is 19 years old and is the son of Antonio and Irma Martinez. He is a graduate from Marmion Military Academy and is currently a student at Butler University in Indianapolis. He is studying the field of Marketing and Vocal Performance. He is of Puerto Rican descent and comes from a family which is very culturally and musically oriented. He started singing publicly shortly before he was named "Aurora Idol" in a local competitiion. Since winning the competition he has been asked to sing at weddings, cultural events, and sports events. Along with singing his hobbies include playing the piano and the Cuatro, which he learned from his dad who loves the great sound of the instrument that belongs to the beloved island of Puerto Rico. He is now striving to complete his college studies and to fulfill his dreams of becoming a professional singer one day.