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,
Rock,
symphonic music,
World Music,
ZAPPA music,
percussion ensemble,
soundtracks,
and cartoon music.(!)
with concerts in 28 countries on 5 continents
CLICK ON LINK FOR
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,
Rock,
symphonic music,
World Music,
ZAPPA music,
percussion ensemble,
soundtracks,
and cartoon music.(!)
with concerts in 28 countries on 5 continents
CLICK ON LINK FOR
He attributes his musical growth to his studies with
PANDIT TARANATH RAO,
LEONICE SHINEMANN,
JOHN BERGAMO,
and
SWAPAN CHAUDHURI
where he studied North Indian tabla,
and South Indian ghatam and kanjira,
while attending California Institute of the Arts on a full scholarship,
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
But he left CAL ARTS after 18 months as he started working worldwide.
He continues to be in demand with a career
MAKING MUSIC as a performer/composer/improviser/educator
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.
PANDIT TARANATH RAO,
LEONICE SHINEMANN,
JOHN BERGAMO,
and
SWAPAN CHAUDHURI
where he studied North Indian tabla,
and South Indian ghatam and kanjira,
while attending California Institute of the Arts on a full scholarship,
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
But he left CAL ARTS after 18 months as he started working worldwide.
He continues to be in demand with a career
MAKING MUSIC as a performer/composer/improviser/educator
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.
He attributes his "style"(?) to Listening to EVERYTHING,
and literally logging in thousands of hours while rehearsing,
composing, performing, touring and recording
with some of the most creative musicians on the planet
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/
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
https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/latmusic?fbclid=IwAR0YoOcTUyqR9gM9D4-Y3D88wrMCYZSji4TWtLpYM5ZBKZosiRMEPQ0Rv2M
and literally logging in thousands of hours while rehearsing,
composing, performing, touring and recording
with some of the most creative musicians on the planet
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/
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
https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/latmusic?fbclid=IwAR0YoOcTUyqR9gM9D4-Y3D88wrMCYZSji4TWtLpYM5ZBKZosiRMEPQ0Rv2M
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
sitar
surbahar
string quartet
woodwind quintet
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.
His passion for music and its many facets,
learning,
refining
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 .....................
indigenous instruments of Mexico/Mesoamerica
or
percussion of India
with
classical guitar
pedal harp
percussion ensembles
piano
sitar
surbahar
string quartet
woodwind quintet
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.
His passion for music and its many facets,
learning,
refining
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 .....................
