Cathlene Pineda

Piano, Jazz Ensembles, Music Fundamentals

Education
BM, Piano Performance, Mannes College of Music
MFA, Jazz and Composition, California Institute of the Arts

Contact
Email: cathlenepineda@gmail.com

Cathlene Pineda is a sought after pianist and composer known for her "beautifully intimate and heartfelt music" (Ralph Alessi, SIM). In January 2016, Orenda Records released Cathlene's second album of original music, "Passing: A California Suite." "Airy, elegant and haunting" (Cesareo Garasa, The Californian), this album was originally a piece commissioned by the Los Angeles Jazz Society and premiered at the Angel City Jazz Festival at the REDCAT theater. It is a suite of music based off of the work of Los Angeles' first Poet-Laureate, Eloise Klein-Healy, and incorporates the poetry throughout the piece, with an "open atmosphere that hints at the complex beauty of the city" (Lee Epstein, freejazzblog.org).

Highlights of her recent projects include an ongoing collaboration with the Big Show Dance Company (premiered in October 2015 and again in February 2017) to incorporate original compositions with recorded memories, a commission by the Oakwood school for a collaborative dance and choral piece, and a commission to compose a piece for the Jane Goodall Institute, as well as her featured compositions in the critically-acclaimed film, "Jason Nash is Married," produced by Comedy Central Studios.

As a performer, Cathlene has worked with an extensive list of notable musicians and composers, including: Charlie Haden, Bobby Bradford, Ab Baars (From the ICP), Art Lande, Dave Douglas, Ralph Alessi, Wadada Leo Smith, Albert “Tootie” Heath, Kris Tiner, Vinny Golia, Mark Miller, and Joe LaBarbara.