BROTHERS
CABALLERO
JOSE CABALLERO FERNANDEZ
Director and bagpipe teacher
Born in Salceda de Caselas (Galicia) in 1974, his training in the field of music began in 1980 (when he was only 6 years old) with the help of his grandfather Manuel Caballero Urceira, better known as "O Paratán", a famous piper in those days . In that period he began to participate in different traditional music groups such as the Grupo de Gaitas, the Freixo de Entenza or the Folkloric Group of Baldráns, among others.
Already in 1986, he began studying musical language at the Conservatory of Professional Music in Pontevedra, while also receiving clarinet lessons at the Tui Municipal School and the Salceda Municipal School in Caselas. In this stage he combined classical music with traditional music, participating for 10 years in the Banda de Música Cultural de Salceda playing the role of third, second, first, principal clarinet and soloist in said group.
Regarding traditional music, he was part of the Bagpipe Band Xarabal and studied Bagpipes at the Conservatory of Professional Music in Tui, where he acquired and perfected his knowledge in the world of bagpipes, both in terms of tuning, cleanliness and clarity of performance of melodies as at the level of group performance.
In 1996 he began his adventure as a teacher of traditional Galician music, as he created a small group made up of relatives and neighbors. From there he was called to teach in the cultural centers of Alxén and Cabreira belonging to the municipality of Salvaterra de Miño. The following year (1997) he founded the Banda de Gaitas de Entenza (Salceda de Caselas) and later directed the Banda de Gaitas Novos Aires de Couso (Gondomar), Banda de Gaitas Sao Tiago de Cardielos (Viana do Castelo), Banda de Gaitas de Paramos (Tui) and Banda de Gaitas A Insua de Caldelas (Tui) with which he obtained various musical awards and for which he composed his own and identifying themes for each of them such as: O Paratán (Rumba), Foliada para Olivia, Pedándeo (muñeira) , Muiñeira das Penizas, Rumba a Paramos, Cabreira (pasodobre), Pasacorredoiras de Couso, etc.
Currently, it is at the head of these last three: Sao Tiago de Cardielos (20 years of history), Banda de Paramos (17 years of history) and A Insua (with 6 years of life).
SERGIO CABALLERO FERNANDEZ
Master of Percussion
Born in Salceda de Caselas (Galicia) in 1985, his musical career with the bagpipe and traditional percussion began at the age of 8 in the "Grupo de Gaitas os Cativos de Entenza", a group of children from the parish taught by his brother Jose Manuel Caballero Fernández. This group grew until in 1997 the Bagpipe Band of Entenza (Salceda de Caselas) was formed, also directed by his brother and having Alberto Costas as percussion teacher.
In addition, in this period he also began to collaborate in different traditional music groups such as the group "Airiños do Condado" led by his uncle Salvador Caballero or the Banda de Gaitas Xarabal de Vigo, which he joined in 1996 and participated until the age of 17 .
In 1999 he began his career as a percussionist in the bagpipe and dance group San Paio de Alxén, Salvaterra de Miño, where he stayed until 2021. This was followed by other groups such as the Banda de Gaitas novos aires de Couso where he began giving a percussion class in 2002 and the Banda de Gaitas Lembranzas da Terra de Guillarei in 2012.
It is in 2013 when he receives the call of the Banda de Gaitas de Paramos to be the percussion master.
In 2015, he began to learn a new instrument to perform in bagpipe bands and thus give it a more modern air. This would be the drums, with Quique Silva and Jesús Alonso Fernández (Suso Feixón) as teachers.
Also, in 2018 he began his adventure in the world of thunderstorms, more specifically at Trebón dos Xidos (the Rosal), where he continues to teach classes, both bass drum, drum and tambourine.
In 2019, together with his brother José Manuel, they form the Banda de Gaitas a Insua de Caldelas (Tui). So, we can say that, currently, he is still active with this band (Banda de Gaitas A Insua), with the Banda de Gaitas de Paramos, with Trebrón dos Xidos and from time to time collaborates with the Banda de Gaitas Sao Thiago de Cardielos (Viana de Castle).