Tregar Otton, born in the Marshall Islands and raised in South Texas and California, began his studies on the violin at the age of four. At 15, he was the youngest member to join the Berkeley Symphony under Maestro Kent Nagano. While continuing to play classical music, Tregar specializes in performing and arranging music from Cuba and Spain. He was founder of, and is the director, arranger, composer and violinist of Orquesta la Moderna Tradicion, an Orquesta dedicated to performing various styles of Cuban dance music - Danzon, Cha Cha Cha, Guaracha, etc. Tregar has been a part of the Bay Area Latin music scene since the 1980's, playing principally with Potaje (from 1994 - present), a Flamenco - Latin American ensemble headed by Chus Alonzo, and Los Cenzontles (from 1999 - 2008), a Mexican-American ensemble.
37.6101767, -122.4806894
Pacifica, CA (94044)
Full Name:
Tregar Otton
Contact Phone:
Contact Email:
Institutional Affiliation:
1999 - Present, Violin Faculty at Community Music Center, San Francisco.
1997 - 2007, Ran the violin program and taught at Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center in Richmond, CA.
Taught after school at Helms Middle School in Richmond, CA from 1997 - 1999.
Worked with Adventures in Music in partnership with the San Francisco Symphony.
Music Styles:
Classical, Latin, Improvisation, Theory
Instrument/Voice Types Taught:
Violin
Age Ranges:
Elementary
Middle School
High School
Adult
7 and Up
Education:
Received continuous formal classical training in violin from age 4 (teachers included Daniel Kobialka, Andrea Beyers (Julliard), but also received training in Folk, Latin, Jazz (David Balakrishnan) and improvisational styles. Grew up in Texas playing folk music.2 years in music & philosophy at San Francisco State University, 2 years at UC Berkeley.
Years Teaching:
20
Lesson Rate:
$75 per hour, $60 for 45 min, $45 for 1/2 hour
Makes House Calls:
No