Rolando Morales-Matos

Rolando Morales-Matos: Artistic Staff, Percussion

Multi-faceted percussionist Rolando Morales-Matos is a most sought-after Broadway, Latin, Jazz, and Classical musician. He has toured worldwide performing at major jazz festivals and venues as a percussionist of Ron Carter’s Foursight Quartet, Ron Carter’s Nonnet, as well as appearing with artists such as Paquito D’Rivera, John Legend, Alice Cooper, Dave Samuels, Dave Valentine, Willie Colon, amongst others. Rolando has recorded with Ron Carter, Celine Dion, Michael Bolton, Birdland Big Band, as well as numerous film soundtracks, jingles 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 numerous compositions for classical percussion ensembles and the textbook Techniques and Basic Patterns for Congas, Timbales, and Bongos. In 2008, Rolando released his solo album From The Earth featuring the Hang Drum as well as his Latin Jazz group’s debut album Forward.

Also as an accomplished classical musician, Rolando performs with The Philadelphia Orchestra and The New York Philharmonic as an extra percussionist. Previously, he was the Principal Percussionist of Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia in Spain, the Guest Principal 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 including

Willie Colon, Eddie Santiago, Jerry Rivera, among others. 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, conservatories and Percussive Arts Society International Conventions.

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Percussionist Rolando Morales-Matos began his musical studies at the prestigious high school for the performing arts, Escuela Libre de Música and started touring with popular artists at the age of 15. He moved to the States and received his Bachelor’s degree in Classical Percussion Performance from Carnegie Mellon University, Master’s degree from Duquesne University, and Certificate of Professional Studies from Temple University.

Rolando Morales-Matos endorses Pearl Drums, Zildjian cymbals, and Evans drumheads.