"By and large, Balcacer's work commands attention. This young guitarist colors the ears impressed"
ALL ABOUT JAZZ
BIO
Alfredo Balcacer
guitarist, educator and composer from the Dominican Republic.
Graduated with a BM from Utah State University, and a MM in Guitar Performance at Western Michigan University.
Alfredo Balcácer is an Instructor of Record in Music Technology at the University of Northern Colorado, where he is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Jazz Studies and Composition. A three-time DownBeat Student Music Award winner, he holds a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from Western Michigan University and a Bachelor of Music in Guitar Performance from Utah State University.
As an educator, Alfredo brings extensive experience across diverse academic levels. He previously served for four years as the elementary music teacher at St. Michael’s School, a premier institution in the Dominican Republic, and taught grades 7–12 for seven years at Lux Mundi School, where he specialized in guitar, music history, and music appreciation. In the United States, Alfredo has taught guitar at Marshall Music, Crescendo Academy of Music, and Southtown Guitar, all Midwest academies. He has also served as a guitar pedagogy consultant for Consonus Music Institute and was an instructor of music technology at Western Michigan University’s summer camp, as well as a visiting artist at the Kalamazoo Education for the Arts.
An active performer, Alfredo has appeared in hundreds of concerts across the Dominican Republic, including major venues such as Altos de Chavón and Hard Rock Café. At Utah State University, he performed with the prestigious Caine Jazz Combo and the Jazz Big Band, earning a DownBeat Award for Best Performance by a Large Collegiate Ensemble. He also toured Brazil with the Utah State Guitar Trio, performing at the student chapter of the Goiânia Jazz Festival at the Federal University of Goiás.
Throughout his academic career, Alfredo has had the opportunity to perform with acclaimed artists including Gene Bertoncini, Samuel Torres, Peter Erskine, George Garzone, John Scofield, Chico Pinheiro, Randy Brecker, Cedric Dent, Philip Catherine, Peter Bernstein, Julian Lage, and Peter Eldridge. As a member of Western Michigan University’s Gold Company Vocal Ensemble, he toured in Canada, and he was also part of WMU’s Latin Ensemble, Más Que Nada, which earned a DownBeat Award for Best Student Latin Recording of the Year.
Alfredo’s debut original release, Suspended Sea, blends Afro-Dominican and American jazz traditions, showcasing the dynamic energy of Latin rhythms and the rich harmonic language of jazz. As noted by Dan Bilawsky of All About Jazz, “this young guitarist colors the ears impressed.”
Most recently, Alfredo recorded with the Socrates Garcia Latin Jazz Orchestra on their latest album, featuring notable artists such as Clay Jenkins, Jeff Jarvis, Don Aliquo, and Dana Landry.
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"Suspended Sea"
Released June 28th, 2019
"The concept behind the album was to write music inspired by my experiences as an immigrant in the United States, incorporating elements from the music that I grew up listening to. Transcriptions from Dominican percussion patterns were adapted to the drum set and bass. The goal for this process was to hear the interpretation of these patterns from musicians of the United States. I was looking to create new colors and textures within the jazz palette. Some of the incorporated styles were Ga-ga, Palo and Bachata."
LISTEN HERE REVIEWS
"He blends modern jazz guitar riffs with skittering drum beats to create something entirely unique”
All About Jazz
“By and large, Balcacer's work commands attention. Whether we're talking about a wild ride like "Inside My Head," or the Afro-Caribbean-glazed fusion fields of "Con El Alma," this young guitarist colors the ears impressed”
AID & ABET
"The propulsive nature of these songs is exciting. This is one of those albums where ideas predominate, and those thoughts are expressed in many-splendored ways. A really wonderful set.”
