As the only girl in a family of five children, she made a name for herself performing and touring with her mother, father and siblings throughout Latin America, Europe, the Caribbean and the United States in a band her father appropriately named Los Hijos de la Casa Grande (The Children of the Big House).

Some of her brothers played maracas, guitar and bass, while her youngest brother, Gabrielle, sang and danced with their mother. Barreiro contributed the sound of her harp, which she began playing at 13.

Barreiro, along with Gabrielle – who now plays double bass – will perform at the Carmel Valley branch library at 7 p.m. Wednesday in a program sponsored by the Friends of the Carmel Valley Library.

The repertoire will feature traditional Venezuelan folk music.

Barreiro first ran her fingers across harp strings when her father, who managed the band, gave her the instrument as a present about 25 years ago.

He fell in love with Venezuelan music after he immigrated there from Spain when he was 20.

"He was inspired and thought maybe in the future some of his children would play Venezuelan music," Barreiro said.

Although she liked the instrument immediately, "It was very difficult to learn," she said.

"There are so many strings, and when you hit the strings, it's so painful on your fingertips."

A teacher from her elementary school offered to instruct her, and she studied basic music for two years. As she developed her musical career, she began taking master classes from harpists in Venezuela.

After graduating from the Central University of Venezuela with a bachelor's degree in international studies, she moved to Philadelphia in 1997 to study with a Celtic harpist. It was there she met her husband, David, whom she married a year later.

Barreiro was inspired to learn Irish music because of her father's Celtic heritage.

"I play Celtic music with my Venezuelan harp," she said. "The sound is so unique and different."

In 2001, she and her husband moved to San Diego to further his career as a scientist.

Venezuelan music can be traced back to European and African cultures, Barreiro said.

"African music and Venezuelan music, they are both the same," she said, "and their sweet dialogue reveals compatibility. I adopted the rippling style of the kora (West African harp-lute) and used African-style repetition to emphasize rhythms."

Music connects her with Venezuela. Her brother, Gabrielle, is studying graphic design in San Diego, but the rest of the family has stayed in her home country.

"I practice every day," she said. "When I play, in my mind comes back all the memories of playing with my family. Every year I visit them at Christmas, and we all still play together."

Last year, her brother got married in Venezuela and the whole family – groom included – played at the wedding.

Her first solo CD, "Solo Arpa," was released last August. It is available at Tower Records and at Harp Haven in Mission Valley.

Barreiro describes Venezuelan music as a mixture of innovation and improvisation. The music is learned by ear; players don't read music.

"I can play along with any music really," she said. "The secret is improvisation. I have a mental bank of hundreds of melodies and rhythms, and always improvise."

Barreiro also plays the harp for patients at Sharp Memorial Hospital. She has volunteered in various hospitals for years.

"When they listen to the music, they forget all the pain," she said.

Barreiro hopes to play her melodies throughout San Diego County.

"I will play my harp forever," she said. "It's in my heart. I love it."