Meet Marcela Bastida

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcela Bastida.

Hi Marcela, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today. 
I am a jazz composer, arranger, pianist, and educator from Mexico. I moved to Boston in 2016 to pursue my music degree at Berklee College of Music, where I spend the next 4 years exploring jazz and defining what I wanted to do for my career. Soon, I decided that I wanted to become a big band composer, and in 2020, I graduated with a double major in jazz composition and piano performance. 

My biggest influences are Maria Schneider, Duke Ellington, and Ayn Inserto, the last one being a mentor during my last couple of years at Berklee. I admire them for having their own big bands with musicians that they know and love. They write for them, not for the instruments. 

After graduating Berklee, I started looking for jobs, and giving the fact that the pandemic had already hit, I didn’t have performance opportunities at all for the first couple of years. I started teaching and getting to know that side of me, I really liked it, and it is now a big part of what I do every day. My current job is as the community engagement Programs Coordinator at a Community Music school in Boston, Cmcb, which stands for Community Music Center of Boston there, I can contribute to curricular design, access to music education in Boston Public schools, access to music therapy in various day programs throughout the city and many community events. 

I also still teach and arrange music for clients, as well as work on my own music, to hold future concerts this year in Boston and Mexico. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been smooth always. Finding a career while the pandemic was only starting to develop was the hardest part, especially because I had to be very open and explore all the possibilities that were on the table. 

The other set of challenges have been around making sure that accessibility is present in all my workplaces. As a blind musician who got all the technology tools at Berklee and really did everything possible to thrive as a big band composer, conductor, and performer, I want to make sure that access is available for me and for others. As an art administrator, now, it’s something that is on top of my priorities, and I’m convinced that everyone can explore their full potential if the resources are given and available. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a composer and pianist who also spends a lot of time in arts administration. I like to work in every aspect of being a musician, and I’ve learned that we are not only about performing or composing. The music education side of the industry has been so important and impactful to me, and I will always work towards more complete, accessible, and quality music education for everyone. 

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you, and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I’ve learned to be as flexible and as open as possible. Looking back, I wouldn’t have become a teacher or probably wouldn’t be at my current position if the pandemic didn’t happen. I was so focused on finding performance opportunities when I was about to graduate that the other options didn’t even cross my mind. Currently, I can say that I do all of them, and they all bring me so much. I am a richer artist, and I learn from every aspect of my work. 

Contact Info:

• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@marcelabastida5874