Rodrigo Chavez, Chilean born musician, has specialized in classical Guitar and Afro-Latin percussion for more than fifteen years. He studied Sociology and French at York University and has traveled extensible throughout Peru, Venezuela and Cuba studying traditional rhythms and musical styles of those countries.

He has performed in Chile, Argentina, USA, Canada and Korea. In Canada he has performed at The Banff Centre for

the Arts, Ottawas Museum of Civilization, Roy Thompson Hall and for the National Ballet of Canada. He has participated in numerous recordings projects including CBC documentaries, Peter Smith Caliente & Cool Jazz CD, Kiran Ahlluwalia Indo-Pakistani contemporary music, Prologue to the Performing Arts CD, Jim Parkers Children Production On my street and Flamenco Spanish recordings. Mi Camino, one of his compositions, was played in TV series Nikita. Same song is played for the Ontario Arts Council new educational DVD for Artists in Education.

In 1997 he became the Artistic Director of CASSAVA Latin Rhythms, his own project. With this band, he takes a new musical approach to a fusion of Afro-Latin rhythms with Jazz and popular music from Latin America. His focus is primarily on Salsa, Cumbia, Lando and Afro-Cuban rhythms. He has performed in most international festivals of Canada, Chicago in USA and South Korea. CASSAVA plays in special events as well as in the educational area, schools and universities of Ontario.

Cassavas first CD entitled Latin Rhythms was produced in year 2000 and distributed through Canada and USA featuring Venezuelan singer Eliana Cuevas. Cassava has produced a second CD entitled Encuentros (Encounters), released on April 2004. CASSAVAs latest CD is entitled Color de Rumba (Color of Rumba) released on summer of 2008.

He has been leading workshops for OISE (Ontario Institute of Studies in Education), COLLAGE, 19th National Conference on Carl Orff, Toronto 2006, he lead workshops for the OABEC Conference (Ontario Association of Business Education and Coordinators), Niagara Falls 2007, most recently he led workshops for the EDGO Conference (Educators for Gifted Children of Ontario) in Toronto, November 2007, yearly a teachers workshop organized by Worlds of Music, OISE in June 2008 and for the undergraduate program at York University.

Rodrigo Chavez is currently touring Ontario and Quebec provinces conducting workshops on Afro-Latin rhythms for middle and high schools with the support of Ontario Arts Council and the different Boards of Education. The program is affordable and it is offered in both, English and French languages.

My teaching philosophy is grounded in giving students tools for their own creation. These tools open a window to an entirely new world of expression, a world that is both magical and connected to their own reality. They can then explore in the context of their daily life, and create new forms of expression.