COMPOSER
MULTI INSTRUMENTALIST
​IMPROVISER
​EDUCATOR
Christopher is a  a "native"  of  (East) Los Angeles,
"Grew up in Belvedere, between Boyle Heights and Maravilla 
in the county of (EAST) Los Angeles
i.e.,
​not  the city."
(California, USA)
​
His background includes performances in a wide variety 
of musical settings including; 
avant garde
chamber music, 
folkloric music,
indigenous and traditional music of Mexico
Jazz,
percussion ensemble, 
Rock,
soundtracks,
symphonic music,
World Music, 
ZAPPA music
​and cartoon music.(!) 
​with concerts in 28 countries on 5 continents
MENTORS
He attributes his musical growth to his mentors - Pandit Taranath Rao, John Bergamo, and Swapan Chaudhuri where he studied North Indian tabla, South Indian kanjira, ghatam and western percussion, while attending California Institute of the Arts on a full scholarship for 18 months,  where he was also a member of the (only) award winning Cal Arts Percussion Ensemble in 1979 under the direction of Guruji John Bergamo. 

(PLEASE VISIT TABLA/TEACHERS/LIFE LINK for additional info
http://christophergarciamusic.weebly.com/tabla---teacherslife.html

The experience of thousands of hours of rehearsals, performances, recordings,
and tours with a who's who of artists from very different genres with very different
vernaculars and very different resonances continue to invite him to collaborate.
COMPOSER
as a composer he continues to receive commissions for
indigenous instruments of Mexico/Mesoamerica
or
percussion of India
with
classical guitar
pedal harp
percussion ensembles
piano forte
sarode
sitar
surbahar
string quartet
woodwind quintet

in 2013 two of his compositions were featured at the 
LATIN AMERICAN CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL 
held in San Francisco
the only performer/composer to perform at the festival
https://www.oldfirstconcerts.org/ql-latin-american-chamber-music-festival-2/

and in January of 2020, he was one of 19 musicians invited to participate 
@
Defining New Directions in Latin America and Latino Concert Music 
Exploratory Seminar 
@
​RADCLIFFE INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED STUDY @ HARVARD

His fascination with rhythm and the color of sound allows him 
to be a group member and frequent collaborator/composer with 
various critically acclaimed classical, jazz, rock, and world music 
ensembles with whom he  continues to concertize with performances in: 
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, 
the Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, 
Italy, Korea, Macedonia, Mexico, Norway, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland,
 the United States and Wales, over 1200 performances on 5 continents. 
​
MULTI INSTRUMENTALIST/IMPROVISER
He continues to be in demand with a career 
​with
drumset,
​marimba, 
percussion instruments of North and South India including:
tabla,
kanjira,
and
ghatam,
along with indigenous percussion instruments of various regions of Mexoamerica/Mexico including:
atecocolli,
ayacaxtli,
baa wehai,
huilacapiztli
tlapan huehuetl,
teponaztli
tlapitzalli
and baa wehai,
employing extended techniques
​using fingers, hands and stickings in a variety of jazz,
rock and world music settings. 
EDUCATOR
As an educator he has given interactive lecture demonstrations  
from the middle school level to universities across the world on

improvisation and its different vernaculars

breath, string and percussion instruments of indigenous Mexico - Aztec/Mexica/Mayan/Raramuri

percussion instruments of North and South India

rhythm and percussion instruments of the world and more

along with being a resource for chamber and symphonic orchestras as a featured soloist 

and as a resource for composers about the mechanics of composing for and playing percussion 

working with their percussion sections and sharing techniques of playing non western instruments
which do not respond the way that western orchestral percussionists are accustomed to

and sharing his experience with the beauty and the nature of the resonance and silence 
of music with all ages, ethnicities and cultures in musical and non musical settings

His website on indigenous instruments of Mexico and various YOUTUBES demonstrating 
the instruments in solo and ensemble settings continues to be acknowledged
as an excellent educational overview to these instruments,
their histories and performance practices
with 101,000 views as of this writing
and his website continues to have over 2,000 monthly visits 

in 2013 two of his compositions were featured at the 
LATIN AMERICAN CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL 
held in San Francisco
the only performer/composer to perform at the festival
https://www.oldfirstconcerts.org/ql-latin-american-chamber-music-festival-2/
His passion for music and its many facets,
learning,
refining,
cultivating,
nurturing
​and teaching it,
is always in a precarious never ending balance with his passion
for the SUPREME,  FAMILIA and his MUSIC

by the grace of  the CREATOR,
the love of music,
emotional support from his familia
and lots and lots of hard work
his work  continues worldwide .....................
​