Focus on: Mario Allende
Toronto, ON
Born in Chile and raised in Canada, Mario was best known as the driving force behind the Alberta based Latin-Jazz group, Bomba! Today, however, he mixes the drum kit, timbales, congas and myriad percussion instruments as a freelance musician in Toronto's vibrant musical scene.
A studied yet emotional player, Mario is restlessly creative and performs with the spirit this music demands. In Cuba, Mario has studied with the legendary Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, Jose Luis "Changuito" Quintana, Irakere's Enrique Plá, Oscar Valdés and the late Miguel "Angá" Díaz. Currently, he is completing a Master's Degree in Ethnomusicology at York University.
Mario performs regularly across the country and abroad. As an educator, Mario has taught music and Latin culture workshops at the University of Alberta, Grant MacEwan Community College in Edmonton, AB; Mount Royal College and the University of Calgary in Calgary, AB; the Banff Centre for the Arts, Memorial University in St. John’s NL, Toronto’s York University and Harbourfront Centre. He also lead a latin music and Spanish residency from 2005 to 2010 at Sturgeon Composite High School (Namao, AB). This residency took Mario, along with 84 students, teachers and parents on a study trip to Havana, Matanzas and Santa Clara, Cuba.
Mario Allende has presented:
- Between the Beats: The magic of rhythm lies in the space between (2016)
- Wake Up Singing: Yoruba songs for early risers (2016)
- Boom! The sound of worlds colliding (2013)
- A Wrinkle in Time... (2011)