>> Biography (extended)
Keyla Orozco (Santiago de Cuba) is currently living and working in the US, after establishing herself in The Netherlands as an independent artist for over 18 years. She shares her professional career between these two countries mainly.
Awards:
Her compositional work has been awarded with the Guggenheim and the Cintas Fellowships, Fromm Music Foundation Commission, Two-Years Composition Grant by the Dutch Performing Arts Funds, a Residency Fellowship at MacDowell Colony, First and Second Prizes at International Composition Contest René Amengüal in Chile, and the National Cuban prize for Symphonic Composition UNEAC.
Commissions and performances:
Keyla has received several commissions by the main Arts Funding organizations in The Netherlands; and more recently in the US, to write for internationally acclaimed ensembles and soloists such as: Nederlands Kamerkoor, Nederlands Fluitorkest, Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, Asko Ensemble, Nieuw Ensemble, Combustion Chamber, De Ereprijs, Ricciotti Ensemble, David Kweksilber Big Band, String Orchestra of New York City, ZOFO piano duet, Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras, Susanna Borsch, Ernestine Stoop, Mikhail Zemtzov, Mondriaan Kwartet, and many others. Her works are regularly performed in festivals and events around the world such as Artes de Cuba Festival (Washington DC), North Sea Jazz Festival, Holland Festival, ISCM Miami, Sonido de las Américas; at venues like The Kennedy Center For Performing Arts (DC), Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, and Symphony Space in New York, Concertgebouw, Carré Theater, Muziekgebouw aan het Ij, Bimhuis, Tropentheater and Parasdiso Theater in Amsterdam, Teatro Amadeo Roldán in Havana, among others.
Other activities:
Her curiosity for exploring other Latin-American folk rhythms and the idea of integrating them into her compositions, leaded her in 2006 to a field-research on the traditional Venezuelan/Colombian Music known as “Música Llanera’. The project was subsidized by the Nederlands Fonds Podiumkunsten (Dutch Performing Art Fund). As a result, her later compositions have been strongly influenced by this music, being the case of 'Estudio del Pajarillo', 'Habanera en Pajarillo voor de gestolen fiets', 'Met de schoenen' 'Piezas de Bolsillo', 'Traveling Shoe Stories', and 'Bridges'.
After organizing diverse inter-disciplinary events in Cuba and Holland, she co-founded in 2004 the Stichting PerpetuumM, a foundation to promote Latin-American art and culture in The Netherlands. Festival ‘Q-ba Música’ (2004) and Series ‘Latijns-Amerikaanse componisten aan het ij’ (2006-07) were projects co-directed and produced by Keyla Orozco within this enterprise, in which she worked until 2008. See more...
Teaching:
Orozco's teaching career started in 1993 as a professor of Counterpoint at the Instituto Superior de Artes in Havana. Since 1996 she has been working in the Netherlands (and more recently in the US as well) both at institutions and privately, giving Composition, Piano, Music Theory, Early childhood, and General Music lessons. She worked as an assistant professor of Composition in the class of Theo Loevendie at the Conservatory of Amsterdam as well as teaching Piano at the British School in The Netherlands. She has led master classes and lectures at Universities, Conservatories and events around the world. In the US she has worked at Washington International School, Imagination Stage, and Capitol Hill Arts Workshops. Keyla is currently focussed on children's music education, directed to develop creativity and broaden musical skills.
Music Education:
Keyla received professional music education since the age of 8. She started with Piano at the Esteban Salas Conservatory in Santiago de Cuba, under the solid tradition of the Russian School. In 1988 she obtained her diploma in piano pedagogy and performance at the National School of the Arts (Escuela Nacional de Artes -ENA-) in Havana, with Yleana Bautista as a main teacher. Later, she studied composition with Harold Gramatges at the Higher Institute of the Arts (Instituto Superior de Artes -ISA-) in Havana, obtaining her Bachelor degree in 1993. Between 1995-98 she followed advanced composition studies in The Netherlands with Theo Loevendie, at the Royal Conservatory of the Hague (Koninklijk Conservatorium) and the Conservatory of Amsterdam.
Awards:
Her compositional work has been awarded with the Guggenheim and the Cintas Fellowships, Fromm Music Foundation Commission, Two-Years Composition Grant by the Dutch Performing Arts Funds, a Residency Fellowship at MacDowell Colony, First and Second Prizes at International Composition Contest René Amengüal in Chile, and the National Cuban prize for Symphonic Composition UNEAC.
Commissions and performances:
Keyla has received several commissions by the main Arts Funding organizations in The Netherlands; and more recently in the US, to write for internationally acclaimed ensembles and soloists such as: Nederlands Kamerkoor, Nederlands Fluitorkest, Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, Asko Ensemble, Nieuw Ensemble, Combustion Chamber, De Ereprijs, Ricciotti Ensemble, David Kweksilber Big Band, String Orchestra of New York City, ZOFO piano duet, Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras, Susanna Borsch, Ernestine Stoop, Mikhail Zemtzov, Mondriaan Kwartet, and many others. Her works are regularly performed in festivals and events around the world such as Artes de Cuba Festival (Washington DC), North Sea Jazz Festival, Holland Festival, ISCM Miami, Sonido de las Américas; at venues like The Kennedy Center For Performing Arts (DC), Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, and Symphony Space in New York, Concertgebouw, Carré Theater, Muziekgebouw aan het Ij, Bimhuis, Tropentheater and Parasdiso Theater in Amsterdam, Teatro Amadeo Roldán in Havana, among others.
Other activities:
Her curiosity for exploring other Latin-American folk rhythms and the idea of integrating them into her compositions, leaded her in 2006 to a field-research on the traditional Venezuelan/Colombian Music known as “Música Llanera’. The project was subsidized by the Nederlands Fonds Podiumkunsten (Dutch Performing Art Fund). As a result, her later compositions have been strongly influenced by this music, being the case of 'Estudio del Pajarillo', 'Habanera en Pajarillo voor de gestolen fiets', 'Met de schoenen' 'Piezas de Bolsillo', 'Traveling Shoe Stories', and 'Bridges'.
After organizing diverse inter-disciplinary events in Cuba and Holland, she co-founded in 2004 the Stichting PerpetuumM, a foundation to promote Latin-American art and culture in The Netherlands. Festival ‘Q-ba Música’ (2004) and Series ‘Latijns-Amerikaanse componisten aan het ij’ (2006-07) were projects co-directed and produced by Keyla Orozco within this enterprise, in which she worked until 2008. See more...
Teaching:
Orozco's teaching career started in 1993 as a professor of Counterpoint at the Instituto Superior de Artes in Havana. Since 1996 she has been working in the Netherlands (and more recently in the US as well) both at institutions and privately, giving Composition, Piano, Music Theory, Early childhood, and General Music lessons. She worked as an assistant professor of Composition in the class of Theo Loevendie at the Conservatory of Amsterdam as well as teaching Piano at the British School in The Netherlands. She has led master classes and lectures at Universities, Conservatories and events around the world. In the US she has worked at Washington International School, Imagination Stage, and Capitol Hill Arts Workshops. Keyla is currently focussed on children's music education, directed to develop creativity and broaden musical skills.
Music Education:
Keyla received professional music education since the age of 8. She started with Piano at the Esteban Salas Conservatory in Santiago de Cuba, under the solid tradition of the Russian School. In 1988 she obtained her diploma in piano pedagogy and performance at the National School of the Arts (Escuela Nacional de Artes -ENA-) in Havana, with Yleana Bautista as a main teacher. Later, she studied composition with Harold Gramatges at the Higher Institute of the Arts (Instituto Superior de Artes -ISA-) in Havana, obtaining her Bachelor degree in 1993. Between 1995-98 she followed advanced composition studies in The Netherlands with Theo Loevendie, at the Royal Conservatory of the Hague (Koninklijk Conservatorium) and the Conservatory of Amsterdam.