Paraguay-born harp and violin wizard Carlos Reyes casts a spell on audiences with the potent combination of his outstanding musical talents, charismatic personality, and extensive repertoire, from sweet Latin American ballads to lowdown blues to heart-racing dance numbers that make listeners leap to their feet, playing solo and with his hot band, Electric Symphony.

Carlos began his musical education at the age of three and a half with the violin. A few years later, his father dared the 10-year-old Carlos to learn the complicated 36-string native Paraguayan harp. Two weeks later, the boy earned a double encore at his first professional harp concert. After relocating to the Bay Area, Carlos played harp with the Oakland Symphony and violin with the Oakland Youth Symphony while in his early teens, and provided instrumental background music for the children’s shows Sesame Street and Villa Alegre.