BIO
Alejandro Zuleta is an eclectic multi-talented conductor and composer, specialized in vocal repertoire; with a passion for improvisation and Latin American traditional music. Born in Bogotá, Colombia, he carries the Zuleta family legacy of a long line of celebrated Colombian traditional Vallenato musicians. Alejandro’s musical training started at an early age both in the oral tradition of Vallenato music as well as in western classical music through singing and choral practice.
Since 2017 Alejandro serves as Director of Music at The Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, where he oversees all music programming, conducts the Cathedral’s choral ensembles, and serves as principal organist. In 2021 Mr. Zuleta created Music at Co-Cath. This performance series brings to Brooklyn (and NYC) multicultural, diverse, inspiring, and engaging sacred music experiences. Hoping to bridge the gap between audiences of all ages and backgrounds, and this magnificent repertoire.
For the 2020-2021 season Mr. Zuleta conducted J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion, Magnificat in D and Monteverdi's Selva Morale e Spirituale for Music at Co-Cath and Mozart’s Così fan tutte for The Opera Next Door (TOND). For the 2022 – 2023 season, Alejandro’s engagements include performances of Ariel Ramirez’s Misa Criolla, Arvo Pärt’s Magnificat and Da Pacem, a new staged performance of J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion produced by Music at Co-Cath in collaboration with TOND, Rachmaninov’s All Night’s Vigil, Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 and J.C. Menotti’s The Old Maid and The Thief with TOND, among other works. Mr. Zuleta is currently completing his Doctoral dissertation and exams at Manhattan School of Music where he studied choral conducting with Kent Tritle.
As a composer, Alejandro’s music has been commissioned by institutions such as CBS, History Channel, Teatro SEA NYC, Caracol TV Colombia, and Señal Colombia among others. In December 2015, his music for Teatro Sea’s show “Sueño” was performed by the Puerto Rico Philharmonic Orchestra under Mr. Zuleta’s baton, at Castillo del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Under his music direction the 2013 Teatro SEA’s production of “Romance” won best musical theater production at the ACE awards. In 2015, “La Gloria” won the following awards under Alejandro’s music direction: four ATI; six ACE, and two HOLA Awards, making this production the most awarded Latino musical of the season.
The sound, work, and contributions of his band The Alejandro Zuleta Vallenato Collective have been widely praised by his fellow citizens. It is viewed in his country as of major significance for the preservation of this traditional music. Alejandro is also active in the NYC Improvisation, Jazz, and Latin music scene both as a sideman and as a bandleader. Since 2002 he has been working as an educator, performer, composer, and producer; developing projects in genres ranging from Classical music, Jazz, to Latin popular music, film scoring, and experimental electronic music. He has also studied and performed with musicians such as Dafna Naphtali, Gil Goldstein, Ralph Alessi, Andy Milne, and Peter Bernstein.