SPECTACULAR PERCUSSION

PACO DÍAZ

Born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife where he began his musical studies in percussion and piano. He continued his percussion studies in Seville, with Professor Pedro Vicedo. Graduated in Music, specialising in percussion at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid and graduated with a soloist’s diploma (Uitvoerend Musicus) from the Conservato-rium van Amsterdam, Cum Laude. Invited by the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) to study under the direction of Michael Udow. Diploma of Advanced Studies awarded by the Department of Art History of the University of La Laguna (Escenarios Abiertos). Certificate of Pedagogical Aptitude, awarded by the Institute of Educational Sciences of the Complutense University of Madrid. As a solo percussionist he has performed in numerous cities such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Anapolis, Germany, Madrid, Valencia, Spain. Anapolis, Germany, Madrid, Valencia, Havana, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Brazil and many more. As an orchestral musician he has belonged to and collaborated with different national and international orchestral ensembles, such as the National Orchestra of Spain, London Philharmonic, among others. He has taught in different national and international courses. His commitment to contemporary music has led him to commission and premiere several works for solo percussion, ensemble, symphony orchestra and Big Band. He is sponsored by the drum stick manufacturers “Innovative Percussion” and “Schlagkraft” as well as the international instrument brand “Adams Percussion Instruments”. Since 2010 he has been the director of the Festival de Música Contemporánea de Tenerife, in which internationally renowned percussion artists have participated. He is currently solo timpanist of the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra and percussion teacher at the Conservatory of Music of the Canary Islands.

VERÓNICA CAGIGAO

Artist Adams Instruments, Innovative Percussion and Southern Percussion ambassador in Spain. She combines her work as an international performer with her work as a teacher in conservatories in Spain since 2013. She currently teaches at the Conservatorio Profesional de Música de Tenerife and from 2013 to 2019 she was part of the percussion chair at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Aragón.

As a soloist she has participated in international venues and festivals in various countries such as Spain, Portugal and Japan. He has also taken part in online festivals such as Tamborimba 2021 and the Online Mallet Festival organised by Theodor Milkov in 2020. It is worth mentioning her participation as a soloist with Keiko Abe performing the double concert for two marimbas and orchestra, Wave Impressions II, with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife within the Festival de Música Contemporánea de Tenerife FMUC 2016.

Born in A Coruña, she moved to Santa Cruz de Tenerife where she finished her higher studies in percussion at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Canarias under the direction of Juan Francisco Díaz Martín in 2010, obtaining a distinction. He then continued his studies in Belgium at the Luca School of Arts with Professor Ludwig Albert and in 2014 he completed his training at this university with two Masters in marimba and a Masters in chamber music, obtaining the highest marks. In 2016 he studied marimba specialization in Tokyo at the Toho School of Music with the prestigious marimba player Keiko Abe. She has completed her training by receiving master classes from percussionists such as N.J. Zivkovic, V. Mendoza, N. Zeltsman, E. Sejourne, N. Woud, J. Putsjens, etc.

She has been awarded in several international competitions: Giornatte de la Percussione (Italy, 2009), Marimba Universal Competition and Chamber Music (Belgium, 2011), Premios María Orán 2013 and Premio Injuve de la Creación Joven 2011 (with Tak Nara Percussion Group).

He has been a member of the Joven Orquesta Nacional de España and from 2007 to the present collaborates with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife. In the chamber music field, since 2008 he has been a founding member of Tak-Nara Percussion Group with which he has participated in festivals and concert halls in numerous cities in Spain and other countries such as Italy, Slovenia, Germany, Serbia, Belgium, USA, Colombia, Portugal, etc. He has participated in Percussion Festival Ksilodrum Slovenia, Festival Perkutafest, Festival Internacional de Percusión Valencia, Festival de Música Contemporánea de Tenerife, Festival Internacional de Música de Canarias, Percussion Arts Society International Convention Pasic 2013 Indianapolis (USA), IPEW 2014 Croatia, etc. She is also a founding member of the ensemble T-Percussion.

At a pedagogical level, Verónica Cagigao inaugurates Marimba Online in 2019, a virtual space specialised in marimba and with which she has trained more than a hundred students from all over the world during the last years. This training space includes activities such as international festivals with leading experts, individual classes, group classes in technique, musical expression and digital marketing for musicians.

Verónica Cagigao has given master classes in different festivals and courses at national and international level such as Tomarimbando (Portugal), Aulas D’Estiu (Castellón), Xornadas Musicais O Rosal (Pontevedra), XIV Curso de Ritmo Percusión Madrid Okho (Madrid), Beebrass Festival (Palencia), Merza Percusión (Galicia), Online Mallet Festival, Tamborimba Online 2021 and others.

In 2011 his first album TAK-NARA was released. He is currently in the process of recording his solo CD, Wood that Sings.

PROGRAMA

Radac Tagwacht – Dr. Berger

Prelude 1 – E. Sejourne

A Taburiente – Francis Hernández

Variations on Japanese Children’s Song – Keiko Abe

Rudimental Clave – J. Wooton

Tocata – Enrique Guimerá

Fantasía Spain de Chick Corea – Arr. Chris Deviney