A native of Mexico City, Gerardo began studying music with Cuban musicians, Ricardo Benitez, Luis Bayard and Reinaldo Perez. Gerardo holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Houston, Texas, and a M.F.A. from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). After earning his Master’s Degree at CalArts, Gerardo performed with Dakah, the hip-hop orchestra in Los Angeles, CA and was involved in recording sessions at Capitol Records. He also studied at the Ecole Nationale de musique et danse in Paris, France. Besides music Gerardo has experience teaching the Spanish language in Middle and high school levels. His passion for music, language and culture has led to further research, travel, and study abroad in Turkey, Bulgaria, and Moldova. In his spare time, Gerardo loves cooking, learning about different food cultures, and traveling.