Inspirational Sounds from Latin America
Gerardo Calderon is a composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Born
in Mexico City. He grew up surrounded by music, dance and culture. While
leaving in Mexico, Gerardo studied classical guitar at the Escuela Superior
de Música in Mexico City. He also studied music theory at the Portland
Community College in Oregon, and he is studyied Music Therapy for three
years at Marylhurst University in Oregon.
Gerardo is the musical director of Grupo Condor and Nuestro Canto, and
has pursued his interest in traditional Mexican music, Latin American folk
music and Pre-Colombian music by performing with folk ensembles in
Mexico, Canada, New England, and the Pacific Northwest. He has also
toured with choir and world music ensembles through out the USA. He has
composed music and designed sound for Ballet, documentaries, short
films, commercials, theater companies, and cultural organizations. Gerardo
has been a teaching artist for 25 years and has continuously served the
northwest community through “Young Audiences of Oregon and SW
Washington,” “Oregon Historical Society,” “Multnomah County Library
System,” and other cultural organizations. For the last four years Gerardo
have been playing therapeutic music for Elder Facilities and Nursing
Homes. Gerardo had the honored to be part of the Circus Project Band as a
Musical Director. As a parallel activity to performance, teaching and
studying; Gerardo is an instrument artisan; he makes custom pan
flutes, rain-sticks, water drums, turtle boxes and bombos (bass drum).
Gerardo plays his own instrumental compositions, where he blends Latin
America folk rhythms, Jazz and contemporary rhythms from the Americas,
he also combines different instruments from Latin America, such as string
instruments, wind instruments and percussion instruments, creating an
unique musical sounds.
