Where Is Izaskun Uranga Now? Inside the Enduring Voice Leading Mocedades Today
By Marcus Vance
The foundation of Mocedades rests inside a single household in postwar Bilbao. The Uranga Amézaga family produced nine siblings, nearly all of whom developed pitch-perfect natural harmonies while singing traditional Basque folk songs and Anglo-American pop imports around the family table. In 1967, sisters Amaya, Izaskun, and Estíbaliz Uranga teamed up with their brother Roberto and a circle of university friends to form Voces y Guitarras. Their equipment was minimal: two acoustic guitars and a shared ambition to replicate the acoustic storytelling of Joan Baez and Peter, Paul and Mary.
Bilbao music history shifted when their rehearsal demo tape landed on the desk of producer and composer Juan Carlos Calderón in Madrid. Recognizing their intricate, church-choir vocal cohesion, Calderón signed the students to the Zafiro label in 1969. He rechristened them Mocedades, a traditional Spanish term denoting youth, and began crafting elaborate orchestral charts built specifically around their multiple vocal ranges.
Amaya handled the commanding, brassy leads. Estíbaliz supplied light, romantic tones. Izaskun anchored the center, providing the warm, dusky contralto foundation that glued the group’s complex six-part harmonies together. Calderón’s arrangements turned the Spanish vocal pop group into a technical juggernaut, stripping away the rough edges of Iberian beat music in favor of refined, cinematic orchestration.
Marcus Vance is a cybersecurity auditor and technology writer dedicated to educating the public about online safety, data privacy regulations, enterprise security, and emerging cyber threats.
