Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Juliana Gaona is an oboist, chamber and orchestra musician, improviser, and educator. Juliana has participated in contemporary music festivals and ensembles including the Academia Cervantina in Guanajuato, Mexico, Vértice Ensemble in Mexico City, and soundSCAPE Festival in Italy. In 2020, she performed virtually with the Festival Mujeres en la Música Nueva at the <In/Out> Festival hosted by COINCIDENCIA Swiss and South America cultural exchange. In 2023, she participated in the Ensemble Evolution Summer program in New York City hosted by the International Contemporary Ensemble. As an active improviser, she explores the sonic possibilities of the oboe and English horn by expanding a performative language and experimenting with the reactionary and unexpected dynamics of improvisation. Her ongoing collaborative project with Mexican singer Mariana Flores queries the soundscapes of Latinamerican canciones populares of the mid-twentieth century. Before moving to the Bay area, Juliana was the oboe professor at the University of Texas, El Paso.
Artist/scholar Juan David Rubio has performed for over two decades, mostly on drum kit. His instrumental practice spans jazz, improvisation, punk, contemporary music, and Afro-Latin musics, among others. As a performer and composer, he has produced works for multi- and inter-media settings, electroacoustic pieces, and non-traditionally notated compositions. Juan David has also performed, composed, and produced telematic performances and workshops with collaborators in America, Europe, and Asia. His academic research focuses broadly on Latin American popular musics and global experimental practices, with a focus on alterity, sound technologies, and power. Juan David’s scholarly work has been published in English and Spanish. He is currently Assitant Professor of Ethnomusicology at UC Berkeley.
