Tania Cordobes
Based in Dallas, TX
Tania Cordobés delivers an eclectic, acoustic-based sound that is fun and accessible on the first listen. Her style is based on American folk and Cuban, with additional influences like bossa nova, flamenco and samba. Tania’s original material combines beautiful melody, syncopation and soulful lyrics that embody her Cuban-American heritage. Her voice and the unique instrumentation of her band are perfect in any venue, from festivals to listening rooms.
Tania began formal piano lessons at the age of six and was exposed to a variety of music because her mother was a professional piano teacher and choir director. Meanwhile, her father, a tri-lingual teacher and Cuban immigrant, worked with her on reading and writing in spanish as well as english. Growing up first in Southern California and then in Texas, Tania participated church and school choirs, dance classes, school band (playing first flute and then alto saxophone), drill team, and enjoyed listening to her Abuelita singing the songs of Cuba and the spanish church. All the while Tania continued her piano studies and ended up at Mountain View College in Oak Cliff, Texas, working with teacher Yvonne Reynolds.
The studies paid off with full scholarships to Southern Methodist University where Tania earned a Bachelor's degree of Music with a Major in Music Therapy and a concentration in Piano. Completely passionate about the ability of music to help people and the use of songs as a way to provide a container for feelings and experiences, Tania completed her Master of Music Therapy degree, also at SMU, completing her thesis on songwriting which was published in the Journal of Music Therapy. After graduate school, Tania studied music in La Habana, Cuba (voice under Sonia McCormick of the Escuela Nacional de Musica and Leonel Aleaga of Adelberto y Su Son). Her love for Cuban boleros led her back to Dallas, Texas to study voice and piano with the late Carmen Torres (sister of Aidita - bandleader for Cuarteto Las de Aida) who taught her about the movement of "filin" music in Cuba. In her career as a music therapist, Tania has been awarded honorable mention as Mental Health Professional the year for 2005, 2007 and 2008 by the Children's Advocacy Centers of Texas.
As part of her work with the CAC she wrote and recorded two songs to help children learn boundaries and self-esteem. These songs have been performed for thousands of school age children every year as part of the Kids Count Players educational program. Tania was voted one of the top five latin music acts in Dallas/Fort Worth in 1999 by the readership of the Dallas Observer. In 1998 she was invited to sing at the annual 4th of July Willie Nelson Picnic in Luchenbach , Texas . She has appeared on local Spanish variety TV shows including "De Todo Un Poco" and "Variadissimo". In 1997 and 1998 Tania created "Cultural Knowledge Through the Arts Workshop and Artist Exchange" in which she brought musicians and dancers from Cuba to Texas . Tania has written and recorded 2 full length CD’s. In her first release, Looking Back, Thinking Ahead, singer/songwriter Tania Cordobés looks back on the lessons of her life and finds solace with a guitar and piano in a forthright, emotionally revealing set of songs. The album is still in demand by new listeners who are thrilled to discover a vocal talent that is hidden from the mainstream.
Tania's 2nd CD, a recording of the material frequently performed when she had her band "Surf Salsa" which was a group that performed traditional Cuban and Mexican tunes along with rootsy Americana. Hence the term Surf Salsa which really was an effort to just mix things up rather than play what one would initially think of when you hear the phrase "salsa music". One of the songs from that second CD effort, "Que Lindo" (a song about the immigration experience of her father's family) won an honorable mention in the prestigious Nashville Songwriter's Association/CMT International Songwriting Contest in 2003. One of the songs from that second CD effort, "Que Lindo" (a song about the immigration experience of her father's family) won an honorable mention in the prestigious Nashville Songwriter's Association/CMT International Songwriting Contest in 2003.
Information from the artist's site
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»Tania Cordobes: lead vocals, piano, vocals
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»Greg Cassius: percussion, vocals
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»Michael Stacy: guitar
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»Bryan Meggison: bass, vocals
Frederic Chopin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, Nordoff-Robbins, Ernesto Lecuona, Boleros in general, Ella Fitzgerald, Pablo Milanes, Omara Portuondo, Cuarteto Las de Aida, Rosario, Adelberto Alvarez y Su Son, Andres Alen, Carole King, Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan, Gram Parsons, John Lennon, The Finn Bros, Mahalia Jackson, Willie Nelson, Donna Fargo, Gloria Estefan, Juan Luis Guerra
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