FRANCY MONTALVO
Colombia
Francy Montalvo, pianist and composer from Bogota, nominated to © LatinGrammy and to the © Independent Music Awards as a producer, composer and pianist in the Album Carrera Quinta Big Band.
Favored in 2006 by the Ministry of Culture of Colombia with a National Scholarship for Music Research. In 2009, his composition "En esencia" was awarded the Virtual Bank of Scores Award from the Ministry of Culture. Since 2005 she leads the Carrera Quinta group with which she has won the concert series "Música con Tempo Colombiano" of the Ministry of Culture and the National Library (2015), in 2010 of the Mestizas Music contest of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá and the Second place in the Festival of Hato Viejo Cotrafa. In November 2011 she was invited by Berklee College of Music to hold conferences, workshops and concerts about Colombian music. Since 2013, he has been part of the team of teacher researchers who created the Master's program in Colombian Music at El Bosque University, the first program with this degree in Colombia.
GERMÁN DARÍO PÉREZ SALAZAR
Colombia
Germán Darío Pérez Salazar began piano studies at age 4. Later he entered the National University of Colombia Conservatory of Music, where he studied piano between 1982 and 1996. He graduated with honors from the Francisco José de Caldas District University, the Higher Arts Academy of Bogotá (ASAB), as a Teacher in Musical Arts with emphasis on composition.
The combination of his family ancestor rooted in the Colombian musical traditions, and his academic studies, led him to the search for a new musical language, with a great rhythmic, timbre and harmonic richness, in which elements of the Colombian musical traditions are intertwined , with elements of academic music and jazz resulting in a unique style that opened the way to new perspectives in the Colombian music of the Andean region.
His compositional work has been widely awarded, reaching to date 24 awards in composition in the most important contests of the genre. He is one of the initiators of the main renovation of Colombian music in the Andean region in the last 30 years. His compositions are performed permanently by soloists and ensembles in Colombia and abroad, some in such prestigious venues as the Carnegie Hall in New York and the Southbank Center in London. Recently, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Bogotá (OFB) commissioned him to carry out the arrangement of his work "Ancestro", chosen together with works by other renowned composers, for the record of the 50th anniversary of the orchestra. His work has made him an inescapable reference in the musical history of Colombia.
ANATOLY ZATIN - Mexico
Composer, pianist and conductor Dr. Anatoly Zatin is winner of international music competitions and frequent performer at the most important music festivals around the globe. He has been awarded the prestigious Mozart Medal in 2015 and the UNICEF Medal of Honour in 1990 for his activities as pianist and conductor. He has toured Sweden, Norway, Deutschland, Finland, England, France, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Japan, China, Korea, United States of America and Mexico in numerous occasions, performing at many of the world’s most important concert venues. He has recorded for companies such as ‘Melodia’ in Russia, ‘Azzurra Music’ in Italy, and ‘Aurora Classical in Japan. Graduated as Doctor of Musical Arts at the San Petersburg’s Conservatory of Music, Dr. Zatin is professor at the University of Colima in Mexico where he was also chairman of the Music Department (2001-2011) and dean of the Fine Arts institute (2011-2016), as well as guest faculty at the National Conservatory of Music.
Daniel Vega - Colombia
Colombian composer and arts education visionary, Juan Antonio Cuéllar has
occupied prominent musical positions throughout his homeland. He has been Dean of the School of Arts and Director of the Masters of Music program at Pontificia
Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá. Cuéllar also served for six years (2008-14) as
Executive President of the Batuta National Foundation, a music organization
supported by government and private funds – modeled on Venezuela’s El Sistema
– that serves 40,000 Colombian youth. In addition, he was president of the Colombian Association of Colleges and Arts Programs in 2007-8. Juan Antonio Cuéllar is an Associate Professor of Composition and Theory at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Adviser of Fundación Azteca at Salinas Corporate Group in México for the development of the international youth orchestra and choral program “Esperanza Azteca”, and the artistic leader of the Colombian Youth Philharmonic Orchestra at Fundación Bolívar Davivienda in Colombia.
PACHO CASAS
Colombia
Colombian composer, music producer and guitarist with a Master's degree in composition from the Pontificia Javeriana University in Bogotá. A music producer with more than 12 years of experience in musical production, composition and recording of different types of albums. Winner of the silver medal at the Global Music Awards "Instrumentalist, World Music" with the album "Terranova" which was written and produced in 2015 for the trumpeter Jorge Giraldo. Served has a judge in the competition "Estimulos" from the Ministry of Culture of Colombia in two modalities: Record Production, and Scholarship for the Strengthening of Urban Music 2017. Employed as a music producer for “Colombia Tiene Talento” TELESET-CANAL RCN, among other TV programs. "My musical language conveys the perception I have had of the different music genres that have permeated through me over the years, such as pop, classical and the folk music of my country."