Faculty

New York-based Rolando Morales-Matos is a well sought after Latin, Jazz, and Classical percussionist, vibraphonist, composer and arranger. Rolando is a percussionist of Ron Carter Foursight Quartet, performed and toured extensively in both US and the abroad. He has also performed and/or recorded with artists and groups such as Paquito D’Rivera, Dave Samuels, Dave Valentine, Celine Dion, Michael Bolton, William Cepeda, Wess Anderson, Nexus Percussion Group, The Birdland Big Band, just to name a few. In 2006, Rolando was the recipient of Drum Magazine's World Beat Percussionist of the Year Award. He has recorded numerous film sound tracks and appeared playing on screen in the Disney film Enchanted. Rolando is a percussionist and an Assistant Conductor of The Lion King on Broadway, and frequently plays with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Rolando has developed unique vocabularies of playing melodies on non-pitched percussion instruments and drums. In 2008, he released his solo album “From The Earth” featuring the Hang Drum. 

Before arriving in New York City, Rolando has been the Principle Percussionist with Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia in Spain, the Guest Principal Timpanist with New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and regularly performed with Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra and Pittsburgh Symphony. He has also toured the Caribbean, the United States, and Europe with many salsa and popular bands of Caribbean and South America. 

Rolando Morales-Matos is a faculty member at The Curtis Institute of Music, Temple University in Philadelphia, The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in NYC and New Jersey City University and gives clinics and master classes at many universities. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Rolando 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 endorses Pearl Drums and Adams Musical Instruments, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, and Evans drumheads.