Cristian Yufra

Cristian G. Yufra was born in Rosario in Santa Fe Province, Argentina, in 1985. He began studying classical piano at the Handel Conservatory in Rosario at the age of seven, and at the age of ten he started to dabble in popular music as part of "Raices Nortenas", a vocal and instrumental group in which he played the piano and voice. He later served as lead singer of Nino Nahuel and then was integrated as a pianist and arranger of a rock and blues group called "La Bisarga". At the age of seventeen he completed his studies at the conservatory, obtaining the title of Master of Theory and Solfege and Piano Teacher. That same year he continued his studies at the National University of Villa Maria (Cordoba-Argentina), pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Composition with an emphasis in popular music. While there, he joined the polyphonic choir "Nonino” traveling through various parts of the country, winning the second prize in the People’s Choral Festival of Music in Venado Tuerto, and the Fifth coral contest Interpretation of South American folk and popular music in La Plata. In 2007 having recorded two CDs, he traveled to Brazil to the International Meeting of Choirs of Cape Frio en Rio de Janeiro. In 2006 he entered the Wind Ensemble at the National University Villa Maria led by Professor Luis Nani, as an instrumentalist in piano, again touring various parts of the country. Among other events in 2008, he participated in the First Congress of Popular Music in Villa Maria and the Third Congress of Spanish-American directors, composers, arrangers, and instrumentalists of symphonic bands held in Cordoba. As a member of the Ensemble he was directed by great American directors such as; Dario Sotelo (Brazil), Paul Dell’orca (Uruguay), Matthew George (USA), and Mark Withlock (USA). At the same time he recorded his first CD, produced by Mario Breuer, recording engineer and one of the most important producers of Argentine rock. Currently he is in the process of recording a new CD of Argentinean music after having premiered a work, which was directed by Mark Withlock. During 2007 and 2009 he was a member of the organizing team in the First and Second Latin American Congress of academic training in Popular Music held at Villa Maria. In 2010 the publisher of the National University of Villa Maria produced his first live DVD titled “Otro Lugar”("Another Place"), a piano concert with premieres of his works and others pertaining to Popular Music such as folk music, tango, and some Latin American genres. In 2011 the same publisher produced a second DVD of a concert with a quintet, a tribute to jazz pianist Chick Corea. In July 2010 he won a scholarship from the Spanish-American Conservatory of Music in Tatui, San Pablo (Brazil), enrolling in courses specializing in orchestration and arrangements for symphonic band. During 2010 and 2011, he was selected by a contest to become assistant to students in the lecture of Argentinean music and the admission to the Bachelor in Musical Composition with Emphasis in Popular Music at the National University of Villa Maria. He is currently completing his Bachelor thesis, focused on how to expand the sound field in Argentinean folk music.