Born in Venezuela and a naturalized US Citizen since the early 1990s, Manuel studied with American Teacher and Pianist Harriett Serr, a student of Isabella Vengerova, one of the founders of the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. Earlier in life, he studied with Musicologist and Pianist Juan Francisco Sanz, and was part of the Simon Bolivar Orchestra Conservatory of Music. For the last 30 years, Manuel has worked in the Content Services Software Industry, first developing International Reseller Channels and later as a Technology Educator. Currently, he works as a Senior Trainer for Hyland Software.