The Voice of the Desert

Contents

The Voice of the Desert (Spanish: La Voz del Desierto) is the rock music band from the Diocese of Alcala de Henares, Madrid Spain. Three of the members of this band are catholic priests. They are known as rocker priests and have published six albums with contemporary christian music.

Biography

The musical group was born in 2003 in the diocesan seminary of Alcala de Henares, Spain, when some students of theology came together to sing and record some songs about of God.[1] Their live performances have given them a great credibility and have provided them with million followers in Spain, Portugal and the United States.

In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI visited Madrid on the occasion of World Youth Day and The Voice of the Desert gave several concerts in the Spanish capital for young people from dozens of countries on the five continents. Since 2015 they cross the Atlantic Ocean to take their music to the United States of the hand of the Ministerio Mensaje Texas.[2]

In March 2016 they published Mi Fortaleza, a compilation CD with the 16 essential songs of La Voz del Desierto. The album was distributed by Universal Music.[3] In March 2017, his sixth album was released, entitled Tu rostró buscaré, produced by Santi Fernández, drummer of Los Secretos.[4]

In March 2017, the group released their sixth album, titled Tu rostro buscaré (I Will Seek Your Face), which was produced by Santi Fernández, the drummer of the Spanish pop-rock band Los Secretos.[5]

During the summer of 2017, Raposo and the band embarked on their first tour of the United States. The tour included live performances, personal testimonies, and prayer vigils across various locations in the states of New York, New Jersey, and Texas, including cities such as Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston. This US tour generated significant media coverage among Spanish-language networks, and the band was interviewed by major broadcasters including Univision and Telemundo.[6] In the autumn of that same year, they were selected by the organizers of World Youth Day 2019 in Panama to perform a series of concerts in the Central American nation.

In January 2019 they released the video clip for their song Magnificat and in Panama City they gave eight concerts in just nine days.[7] In 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, they gave online concerts and celebrated the Eucharist, prayed the rosary and made the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament through social networks.

In April 2021, La Voz del Desierto joined a project[8] by Catholic singer Martín Valverde and the Canadian production company Salt + Light Television. Together with more than 60 artists from 17 countries, they recorded the Catholic song Nadie te ama como Yo. In June 2022, after two years stopped by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, they returned to the stage.

In August 2022 they participated in the European Youth Pilgrimage (PEJ22) organized by the Spanish Episcopal Conference and held in Santiago de Compostela.[9] In October 2022 they gave a concert in the outdoor patio of the National Hospital for Paraplegics, in Toledo, organized by the chaplaincy and the complementary rehabilitation service of the health center.[10]

In May 2023 they participated in the event This is the Day at the Fernando Martín Sports Center, in Fuenlabrada, a concert in which they shared the stage with Christian singers such as Israel Houghton, Noel Richards, Hillsong London Worship or Gilberto Daza.[11]

In August 2023 they gave five concerts in Lisbon, Portugal, on the occasion of World Youth Day. One of them on center stage before the vigil with Pope Francis.[12][13][14]

On 8 January 2024, Alberto Raposo Gómez was appointed Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Alcalá de Henares by Bishop Antonio Prieto Lucena. After 20 years as guitarist and founding member of La Voz del Desierto, Raposo announced in an interview published in February 2024 that he would no longer be able to continue performing with the band because of his new pastoral responsibilities. The group, however, was not dissolved and continued its activities with one fewer guitarist.[15][16][17]

On 16 November 2024, La Voz del Desierto performed a charity concert at Colegio San Gabriel in Alcalá de Henares to raise funds for people affected by the 2024 DANA floods in the Valencian Community and other affected regions. The proceeds were donated through Caritas Spain to support those affected by the floods.[18]

On 8 June 2026, the band performed at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium alongside David Bustamante, Daniel Diges, Íñigo Quintero and other artists during the visit of Pope Leo XIV.[19][20]

Members

  • Daniel Gomez de la Vega (Dani): voice.
  • Jesus Javier Mora (Curry): voice.
  • Julio Alejandre: bass guitar.
  • Jose Cortes: percussion.
  • Alejandro de Dios (Alex): guitar.
  • Pedro Martinez: piano.
  • Ignacio Ortiz (Nacho): guitar.
  • Jesús García-Ochoa: drums.
  • Alberto Raposo (Rapo): electric guitars and backing vocals (founding member; currently does not perform in concerts due to his responsibilities as Vicar General of the Diocese of Alcalá de Henares).

Discography

  • Thy Will Be Done On Me – 2005
  • To A Light – 2007
  • The Calling – 2010
  • The Lord Gets Me Up Again – 2013
  • My Strength – 2016
  • I will seek Your face – 2017

References

  1. 1."Introducing LVD". Music Times. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  2. 2."Entrevista a La Voz del Desierto en CNN" [Interview with The Voice of the Desert on CNN]. CNN (in Spanish). 23 November 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  3. 3."Universal Music ficha a los curas rockeros" [Universal Music distributes the music of rocker priests]. La Razón (in Spanish). 23 November 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  4. 4."Entrevista a La Voz del Desierto en El Mundo" [Interview with The Voice of the Desert in the newspaper El Mundo]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 24 March 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  5. 5."La Voz del Desierto".;
  6. 6."La Voz del Desierto, de gira por EE.UU.: «Es una tierra de misión»". El Confidencial Digital. July 7, 2017. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  7. 7."La Voz del Desierto, el grupo de curas rockeros que tocarán para el papa Francisco en la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud". 22 January 2019.
  8. 8."Martín Valverde: "Nadie te ama como yo" cumple 30 años y así lo celebran cantantes católicos" [Martín Valverde: "No one loves you like me" turns 30 and this is how Catholic singers celebrate it]. ACI Prensa (in Spanish). 18 April 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  9. 9."Los curas roqueros, en Santiago: «Queremos que nos escuchen en una fiesta, en el coche o andando por la calle»" [The rock priests, in Santiago: "We want you to listen to us at a party, in the car or walking down the street"]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 5 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  10. 10."Los curas roqueros actúan en el Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos" [Rock priests perform at the National Hospital for Paraplegics]. Alfa y Omega (in Spanish). 17 October 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  11. 11."'Los curas rockeros' participan en un concierto con Israel Houghton, ganador de seis Grammy" [Rock priests participate in a concert with Israel Houghton, winner of six Grammys]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 21 May 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  12. 12."Rock priests at Lisbon World Youth Day" [Rock priests at Lisbon World Youth Day]. Epaimages. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  13. 13."La Voz del Desierto at WYD Lisbon 2023" [La Voz del Desierto at WYD Lisbon 2023]. ComShalom. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  14. 14."Young people at WYD, devotion and fun3" [Young people at WYD, devotion and fun]. EsEuro. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  15. 15."El cura rockero que dejó su banda para ayudar al obispo: «La música ayuda a descubrir a Dios»". El Debate (in Spanish). 16 February 2024. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  16. 16."Uno de los «curas rockeros», Alberto Raposo, nuevo vicario general tras la reestructuración de la curia por parte del nuevo Obispo de Alcalá". La Luna de Alcalá (in Spanish). 8 January 2024. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  17. 17."El sacerdote "rockero" Alberto Raposo, nuevo vicario general de la diócesis de Alcalá de Henares". COPE (in Spanish). 8 January 2024. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  18. 18."Los curas rockeros darán un concierto en Alcalá de Henares para ayudar a los damnificados por la DANA". Dream Alcalá (in Spanish). 13 November 2024. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  19. 19."Curas y laicos evangelizando a ritmo de rock". ABC (in Spanish). 25 May 2026. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  20. 20."Así es La Voz del Desierto, el grupo de curas rockeros que pondrá "patas arriba" el Santiago Bernabéu ante el Papa León XIV". El Periódico de España (in Spanish). 8 June 2026. Retrieved 2026-07-08.