Perú by Night featuring Javier Jara

In his native country, Ecuador, Javier Jara fell in love with music as a young child when relatives would bring their guitars to family gatherings, playing and singing Latin American folk music. Inspired by this experience, Javier now writes music as a form of both political and social activism. He counts as influences such iconic artists as Victor Jara, Mercedes Sosa, Silvio Rodriguez, Chico Buarque, and Atahualpa Yupanqui, among other popular Latin American musicians. Javier plays the guitar and sings.

Javier holds a Bachelor of Music degree in classical guitar performance from Southwestern University, a Master of Music degree in Music and Human Learning and a Texas Teaching Certificate from the University of Texas, where he worked at the String Project both as guitar instructor and coordinator. Javier is currently a Latino Artist in Residence (LARP) recipient at the Emma Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) in Austin, TX.