Born: March 7, 1980 Primary Instrument: Guitar, acoustic
Dominican/Spanish composer and guitarist. Today he is one of the major exponents of contemporary guitar and also an innovator with the instrument. He performs concerts for 6 & 10 string guitars, guitars processed through delays and loops.
From an early age, he began studying music in his native Dominican Republic, and at age 18 he received a scholarship to study composition and guitar at Manhattanville College in New York, where he graduated with honors. At age 19 he is invited to open a concert for the Grammy Award winner, Gonzalo Rubalcaba. From this successful experience where Ocaña performed his compositions, he decided to dedicate his career exclusively to performing his works and arrangements. In the upcoming years he is invited again to be the opening act for Gonzalo Rubalcaba and also of one of his most admired artists Egberto Gismonti. While living in New York he worked as a composer for the orchestra of Elliot Magaziner (former director of Frank Sinatra's orchestra). In 2002 Ocaña decided to move his residency to Madrid, where he has been living since. He has presented hi music at some of the most important concert halls and venues of Spain, “Circulo de Bellas Artes”, “Casa de América”, “Teatro Biblioteca Francesca Bonne Maison”, “Clamores”, among many others. He has also performed his music several times at the prestigious “TVE”, Spanish national and international television. His music is broadcasted with frequency on Spaini's National Radio, among other prestigious radio stations. He has performed concerts in different countries such as Portugal, France, USA, etc. Ocaña has also published four albums “A Paso de Cebra” w/Sebastian Lerner (2001), Anthony Ocaña (2006), Solo (2008) and “Wet Fields” (2010), having received great reviews for each one of them.
Awards:
100 Latinos Madrid (2010)CONDEX and President of the Dominican Republic (2010)
Francisco Tarrega Composers Award (2004)
Casa de Teatro Composers Award (2004)
Senior Josephine Morgan Award (2001)
“The Dominican Republic waits and needs to witness the arising of the next Michel Camilo, and not necessarily another pianist. Another Michel in terms of quality, international and artistic transcendence.If predictions do not fail, guitarist Anthony Ocaña is one of those hopes we keep under the veil of our national pride...Solo will accompany the good taste of the discriminating music lover who disregards commercial formulas, and goes directly for fine art, or in this case, great music.” (Máximo Jimenez “El Caribe” 2008)
“We have the pleasure and compromise to recommend “Wet Fields” from Radio 5. A prodigy of the classical guitar revising The Beatles, a genius whose name is Anthony Ocaña” (Antonio Diaz. “Spanish National Radio” 2010)
“This young artist is not a musical promise, but an authentic, beautiful and passionate reality” (Humberto Quagliata 2010)
"Wet Fields" [bonus album: En Vivo Palacio de Bellas Artes]
Record Label: AO
2010
Tracks: 1-Divertimento 2-Homenaje a Heitor Villa-Lobos 3-Estudio 3 (dedicado a Mary Ann Joyce-Walter) 4-Improviso 2 (dedicado a Anouar Brahem) 5-Estudio 2 (dedicado a Francisco Tárrega) 6-Ascending Soul (dedicada a Ingram Marshall) 7-Estudio 4 (dedicado a Giovanni Allevi) 8-Improviso 3 (dedicado a Egberto Gismonti) 9-Estudio 5 (dedicado a Philip Glass) 10-Wet Fields 11-Cuando Me Acaricias 12-Estudio 1 (dedicado a Luis Dias)
Bonus Album [En Vivo Palacio de Bellas Artes] 1-Homenaje a Heitor Villa-Lobos 2-Yesterday 3-Blackbird 4-Framboyan 5-Ascending Soul (dedicada a Ingram Marshall) 6-Improviso 3 (dedicado a Egberto Gismonti) 7-Pa' Michel (dedicada a Michel Camilo) 8-Poema a Icaro 9-Improviso 2 (dedicado a Anouar Brahem) 10-Joy 11-Divertimento 12-Cuando Me Acaricias
All compositions by Anthony Ocana except "Yesterday" & "Blackbird" by Lennon-McCartney / All guitars by Anthony Ocana / Invited musician on Carnaval PAblo Peña
"Anthony Ocana"
"Solo"
Record Label: AO
2008
Tracks: 1-Joy 2-Yesterday 3-Blackbird 4-Improviso 1 5-Poema a Icaro 6-Voyage 7-Framboyan 8-Pa' Nisibón 9-Improviso 2 (a Anouar Brahem) BONUS TRACK 10-Carnaval
All compositions by Anthony Ocana except "Yesterday" & "Blackbird" by Lennon-McCartney / All guitars by Anthony Ocana / Invited musician on Carnaval PAblo Peña
"Anthony Ocana"
Record Label: AO
2006
Tracks: 1-Carnaval 2-Al Alba 3-Nostalgia 4-Cronologia 5-Salvame 6-Cuando Me Acaricias 7- Nueva Cancion para un Nuevo Mundo 8-Pa' Michel (Dedicated to Michel Camilo) 9-Mamalila (a mi abuela Hilda) 10-Experiencia
All compositions by Anthony Ocana / All guitars by Anthony Ocana
Guarionex Aquino: Percussion; Maridalia Hernandez: Invited voice on "Salvame"; Isidro Bobadilla: Percusion; Esar Simo: Bass; Sebastian Lerner: Piano
As A Side Musician
"A Paso de Cebra"
Anthony Ocana & Sebastian Lerner
Patin Bigote Music
2001
1-Intro 2-Floating 3-Polvo Cosmico 4-Tu Beso 5-A paso de Cebra 6-Cancion de Cuna
Anthony Ocana: Guitars and percussion; Sebastian Lerner: Piano and Keyboards
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