Omar Ledezma
- Percussion, Vocals
Omar was born in Caracas, Venezuela. He began to develop his first drumming skills at age 13. In 1995, he received his Law degree from the USM Law School in Caracas, but his passion for music continued and as he played and began to receive recognition for his performances.
In 1998, he packed one bag, one drum and moved to the United States to explore new horizons. He received The North American Scholarship to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. During his college years, Omar kept a busy schedule with the Latin music scene of Boston and New York, playing, recording and touring with international artists such as Paquito D' Rivera, Alex Alvear & Mango Blue and Jose Conde. He was a founding member of La Timba Loca and with this group he traveled to Cuba in 2003. His extensive experience in the Afro-Venezuelan percussion style and vocal qualities has been demanded by many Venezuelan Artists in the USA, including Aquiles Baez, Gonzalo Grau, Marco Granados, Maria Marquez and Jackeline Rago.
After seven years of living on the East Coast, Omar moved to California to work in different projects with Santana's singer Andy Vargas, Fausto Cuevas and Oscar Cartaya's Band in Los Angeles and played in venues such as Mama Juana's, Spazio, The Baked Potato and the 6th Latin GRAMMYS Awards.
Currently, Omar lives in the Bay Area, where he has performed with the San Francisco Symphony's "Adventures in Music" Program and has taught music at the summer program of the Katherine Michiels School and at Elmhurst School. He also plays local concerts with Eric Rangel, Edgardo Cambon & Candela, The Venezuelan Music Project, Rumbache, Rolando Morales, Michael Spiro & La Moderna Tradicion, Julius Melendez, Gary Flores, Karl Perazzo and Alexa Weber Morales. He has also collaborated with international artists visiting the Bay Area such as Danny Lozada and Chucho Valdez Jr. and most recently with singer/songwriter Gerina Di Marco.
