TOAD Talk: Sounds and Colors from Around the World

Good morning, everyone! In this presentation I'll talk about my life and journey, so far as I’ve lived it. I was born in Oncativo, a tiny village in the province of Cordoba, Argentina. I grew up in a country family, surrounded by nature and animals. Since a young age, I've been interested in music. At age eleven, I started playing guitar, and, at 14, I performed on stage for the first time at a music festival for high school students from all over the country. My first instrument was a rainstick, which was just a glorified stick, but I thought I was cool. Later, I returned to that festival three more times playing bass and guitar, and I discovered that music was my passion.

At 16, I co-founded a sound company with a friend, but then at 20, I made a detour and pursued medicine. After studying for four years, I realized music was my true calling, and I dropped out and dedicated myself to music. However, years later, when my daughter needed a kidney transplant, I was glad I had studied medicine, and I utilized that knowledge during her illness and in the time since. 

After leaving medical school, I opened my recording studio and worked with numerous local and national artists. I also had the privilege of performing at two major music festivals in Argentina, with over 30,000 people in attendance.

At 26, I traveled to Brazil for the World Social Forum, and this event changed my life. It allowed me to meet young people worldwide, and my passion for travel was just beginning. Throughout my life, I've been fortunate enough to visit over 30 different countries, including a year in Brazil, followed by six months in Venezuela, Colombia, and Peru. I've also lived in Chile and Bolivia, but only for weeks at a time. In most of these countries, I tried to integrate myself into the local culture and did what the locals did. I was lucky enough to make two trips to the Amazon rainforest, one of them traveling from a small river in southern Peru and navigating the Amazon River until it reached the Atlantic Ocean. It was an incredible and enriching experience, discovering new sounds, cultures, and ways of life.

During these trips, I made music, filmed documentaries, juggled in plazas, and sold jugglery. A question was repeatedly repeated in these countries: "Where are you from?" There was always a barrier between locals and tourists. Even when I lived in Mexico for seven months, I never stopped being a tourist.

I was fortunate to visit ten European countries and live in Southeast Asia for two years, specifically in Thailand, where I also visited Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Malaysia.

During one of my trips to Europe, I attended a Roger Waters concert in Paris, and there, I had the luck to meet Dirk Schubert, now my dear friend and godfather to my daughters. Dirk owns one of the largest and most prestigious sound companies in the rock music industry, and after spending 15 days together, he offered me a job in Los Angeles in 2011. In 2013 I reached out to him, and he didn't hesitate to send me plane tickets and accommodations in Ojai, California. Ojai is the first city I visited and the only one where I have lived in the United States. I am a lucky one.

When I arrived, I was surprised that nobody asked me where I was from, something that always happened in other countries. I soon discovered that California is home to people from all over the world, and most of them honor and cultivate their origins instead of trying to act like locals.

This place has been a great gift in my life because it makes me unique, and I realized that by cultivating my own identity and color, I could contribute to the painting of life, where each one leaves a brushstroke of their existence. I invite everyone to identify what makes you unique and to cultivate your color to contribute to a colorful and vibrant painting in our community.

Music has taken me to unimaginable places and allowed me to meet incredible people. I have had the opportunity to work with amazing artists, collaborate with great producers, and work in the best venues in the region. California has always been my favorite place, allowing me to continue my music career and raise my daughters in a beautiful and peaceful environment.

One day, my dear amigo Juan told me that the school was looking for a sound technician, and that was when I discovered this beautiful community where there are people from all over the country and from many parts of the world, promoting and cultivating the value of everyone's origins, and intensifying each one's unique color so that every day we can paint this canvas in communion with intense and unique colors.

I am happy to be here where my color is so well received.

My life has been a roller coaster of experiences and emotions, from growing up in a small town in Argentina to living in vibrant California. I am grateful for every moment, and I hope to continue sharing my color with the Thacher community for many more years.

Thank you for listening.