Rolando Morales-Matos

Multi-faceted percussionist, Rolando Morales-Matos is a well sought-after Latin, Jazz and Classical musician. He is a band leader/vibraphonist/composer of Latin Jazz group œRolando Morales-Matos & Forward. He has toured worldwide performing at the major jazz festivals and venues as a percussionist of Ron Carter Foursight Quartet, as well as appearing with artists such as Paquito DRivera, Dave Samuels, Dave Valentine, Willie Colon, among others. Rolando has recorded with Ron Carter, Celine Dion, Michael Bolton, Birdland Big Band, as well as numerous film soundtracks and classical works. In 2006, Rolando was the recipient of Drum Magazine's World Beat Percussionist of the Year Award. Since 1997, he has been the Percussionist and Assistant Conductor of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The Lion King. Rolando has developed unique vocabularies of playing melodies on non-pitched percussion instruments. His published works include over 20 compositions for percussion ensembles and the textbook œTechniques and Basic Patterns for Congas, Timbales, and Bongos. In 2008, Rolando released his solo album œFrom The Earth featuring the Hang Drum, and most recently, his Latin Jazz groups debut album œForward. Also as an accomplished classical musician, Rolando frequently performs with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Previously, he was the Principle Percussionist of Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia in Spain, the Guest Principle Timpanist of New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and performed with Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra and Pittsburgh Symphony while he was busy touring worldwide with many salsa and popular artists from Latin America. Rolando Morales-Matos is a faculty member at Curtis Institute of Music, Temple University, The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, New Jersey City University and gives clinics and master classes at many universities and conservatories. He has given clinics at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in 1999, 2001, and 2003.