| Country | Costa Rica |
|---|
| Occupation | Composer, Teacher |
|---|
| Categories | Contemporary |
|---|
Costa Rican composer and guitarrist, Alejandro Cardona, studied composition with Luis Jorge González, Leon Kirchner, Ivan Tcherepnin and Curt Cacioppo. He graduated from Harvard University and has a Masters Degree in Image Synthesis and Computer Animation from Portsmouth University and The Utrecht School of the Arts. He lived for many years in Mexico where he developed research on popular Meso American and Caribbean music, as well as playing in various bands (with singer Betsy Pecanins and Real de Catorce). As a composer he has participated actively in various festivals, such as the Caribbean Composers Forum, Foro Internacional de Música Nueva (México), Festival Latinoamericano de Música (Venezuela), World Music Days, México 1993, Festival Internacional Cervantino, Festival Iberoamericano de las Artes (Puerto Rico), among others.
He is co-founder or the Editorial Nuestra Cultura Press, that publishes his music. In 2000 he published the second edition of ¿Dónde está la Má Teodora? (Musical sightreading based on African-rooted rhythmic principles), of which he is co-author. His music is also published by Gerb. Stark Musikverlag Leipzig GbR. He has been awarded three times the National Music Award “Aquileo J. Echeverría” in Costa Rica (1999, 2000, 2002) for the works “Códices”, 'Bajo Sombras' and 'En el eco de las paredes'. He was awarded an honorary mention in the First Ibero-American Rodolfo Halffter Composición Prize, 2004. His recorded music is available through Quindecim, Urtext, Global, La Calaca Producciones, Ludiqrecords and White Pine.
He has also participated in multimedia and audiovisual productions. His movie, “Testimonios” has received awards in Costa Rica (best original music, best art video) and has been screened in festivals in Latin American and Europe. In 1999 he participated in an interactive instalation in the 7th Bienal de la Habana with other Costa Rican artists. In 2004 he premiered his movie “Tejidos Rebeldes”.
Since 1986 he has worked at the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, in the Cultural Identity, Art and Technology Program and the Music School. He has also been a Researcher in the CENIDIM Center in México.
He is a member of the Colegio de Compositores Latinoamericanos de Música de Arte since 2005.
