| Juan Garcia-Herreros | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Juan Sebastian Garcia-Herreros |
| Also known as | Snow Owl |
| Born | July 1, 1977 |
| Origin | Bogotá, Colombia |
| Genres | Electroacoustical jazz |
| Occupations | Bassist, composer |
| Instruments | Electric contrabass guitar |
| Labels | Inner Circle Music |
| Associated acts | Snow Owl, Alejandra Torres, Sertab Erener |
| Website | www.the-snow-owl.com |
Juan Garcia-Herreros, also known as "The Snow Owl", is a native born Colombian Bassist & Composer, notable for his virtuoso musicianship and for his use of a customised 6-stringed Electric Contrabass Guitar.[1]
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Juan Garcia-Herreros was born in Bogotá, Colombia. His first musical studies began with Flute at the age 9 after moving to New York City with his family. Once he completed middle school his family relocated once again to Dunedin, Florida where he discovered the electric bass. Due to the fact that his family was unable to afford private lessons his passion for learning fueled him to become a self-taught musician. Juan was just 16 when he began to teach Music Theory and Jazz Performance at Dunedin High School in Florida. His highschool band teacher recognized his young talent and encouraged him to also study acoustic bass so that he could be a part of the symphonic band in school. After spending many dedicated hours playing both acoustic and electric bass, he auditioned and became proficient enough to perform with the Tampa Bay Symphony at just 17 years of age.[2]
At the same time Juan competed in New Orleans for a slot in Berklee College of Music's Scholarship tour and received a coveted scholarship to attend the school in Boston.
He studied at Berklee with bass instructors Bruce Gertz, Joe Santerre, Rich Appleman and Oscar Stagnaro.
At age 21, he returned to New York City to pursue a professional music career. While in New York, Juan developed the ability to meet the demands of multiple styles. Whether the musical genre is Jazz, Pop, Funk, Salsa, straight-ahead Rock, Modern, Classical, Heavy metal, or Avant-garde he is capable of performing without artistic compromise.
At age 26, he moved to Vienna, Austria where he currently resides.
At age 30, he was selected by a jury to become part of the faculty for the Jazz Institute of the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz. He is the first Colombian to be honored with such an academic position in Austria.[3]
During his career, Juan has performed/collaborated with:
As a composer his original compositions have been featured in the off-Broadway production of "Anatomy of a Knucklehead."
Since 2005 Juan has performed at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California as well as two solo bass concerts at the 2006 Frankfurt Musikmesse.
He has taught Bass workshops and Masterclasses internationally.
Snow Owl's performances have included major festivals and Venues stretching from Moscow to Europe and The USA