Edmar Castaneda

Edmar Castañeda (born 1978) is a Colombian harpist. He performs his own compositions as well as tapping into native music of Colombia and Venezuela.He leads a trio with David Silliman on drums and Marshall Gilkes on trombone. He has also been a member of the Andrea Tierra Quartet with Andrea Tierra, Sam Sadigursky, and David Silliman. Castañeda's father was Pavelid Castañeda, a harpist, singer, and teacher. Edmar Castañeda began playing the harp at the age of 13. In the mid 1990s he moved to New York City and studied jazz trumpet before returning to the harp. In 2006 he released his first solo album, Cuarto de Colores. He has performed with Paquito D'Rivera, Simón Diaz, Lila Downs, Giovanni Hidalgo, Joe Locke, Wynton Marsalis, John Patitucci, Janis Siegel, John Scofield, Samuel Torres, Hiromi Uehara, and the United Nations Orchestra.