ABOUT
Mariano Escalona is a drummer, percussionist, singer and arranger from Caracas, Venezuela. He started his academic studies when he was thirteen years old, being part of "El Sistema," where he did six years of classical percussion. He performed in many prestigious halls in Venezuela, and was also part of professional orchestras directed by world-famous conductors like Gustavo Dudamel.
After he graduated from high school in 2014, he had the opportunity to go to New York City to study at the Boys & Girls Harbor Conservatory with a full scholarship. There, he mainly focused on piano and latin percussion studies. During his time in New York City, he had the opportunity to perform in eminent venues like the The Plaza Hotel, Carnegie Hall, the Gramercy Theater and El Museo del Barrio. Through The Harbor, he was able to connect with Berklee City Music, which allowed him to attend the Five Week Summer Performance 2015 with a full scholarship as well.
Once he arrived at his dream music school, he took advantage of every opportunity the program had to offer, and auditioned for the undergraduate program. During the last week of the camp, he found out that he had won a scholarship to attend Berklee full-time.
In May of 2016, he started his studies at the prestigious music school in Boston. This has allowed him to grow tremendously as a musician and human being. He has had the opportunity to connect with a big number of students, faculty members and artists, which has given him the chance to perform in all of the Berklee performance venues several times for all sorts of concerts.
During his time at Berklee, he has become a very in demand musician in the Boston and New York area, allowing him to play in students’ recitals, visiting artists’ masterclasses, recording sessions and other projects and events outside the school.