Artistic Trajectory in Mexico
Concerts · composition · artistic direction · education
This dossier gathers a verifiable selection of Pere Soto’s activity in Mexico. It is intended for cultural centers, festivals, museums, universities and programmers.
Profile
Pere Soto is a guitarist, composer, arranger, music producer and educator. His documented work in Mexico spans from a chamber-music premiere in 2000 to recent multidisciplinary projects. He has performed or collaborated at UNAM (CEPE · Auditorio José Vasconcelos), the Teatro Ángela Peralta in San Miguel de Allende, the Centro Nacional de las Artes (CENART), the Lunario of the Auditorio Nacional, Museo Tamayo, Biblioteca Henestrosa / Casa de la Ciudad, ICBC (Baja California), Centro Cultural San Pablo and the Puebla Symphony Orchestra, with sustained activity in Oaxaca.
Documented timeline
| Year | Milestone | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | World premiere of String Quartet No. 2 (Mexico City Quartet). | Artist source. |
| 2008 | Zinco Jazz Club, Mexico City (18–19 Jan): first documented appearance of the Pere Soto Quartet at what was then the city’s leading jazz club. He returned to play there on later dates. Homage to the legacy of Django Reinhardt. | Original club poster (ZINCO). |
| 2010 | UNAM · CEPE · Auditorio José Vasconcelos: Pere Soto & Mx. Gypsy Project — homage to Django Reinhardt. | CEPE-UNAM historical programme; concert poster. |
| 2011 | Guest soloist with Puebla Symphony Orchestra; arrangements with Oaxaca Big Band. | CV; Ciudadanía Express. |
| 2014 | Teatro Ángela Peralta, San Miguel de Allende: Pere Soto & The Swinging Gitanos. | Atención San Miguel; poster. |
| 2014–2015 | Oaxaca: free jazz with Nandayapa & Muñoz (Biblioteca Henestrosa, FAHHO); San Pablo with Ken Basman. | FAHHO + artist. |
| 2016 | Lunario, Auditorio Nacional (4 Feb): Gypsy Guitar Project, guest Silvie Henry Germain. Video | La Jornada, El Economista, Milenio. |
| 2016 | CENART, Mexico City (30 Apr): Festival ¡Todos a jugar con música de jazz y más! — Pere Soto & Galaxian Swingers. | Alas y Raíces / Secretaría de Cultura; rehearsal and album videos. |
| 2016 | Tijuana / ICBC: Gypsy Jazz masterclass; concert 27 August, 17:00, Plaza de Eventos · Plaza Río Tijuana; improvisation workshop. | ICBC / Secretaría de Cultura poster; Los Angeles Times / AFN; TV Tijuana. |
| 2016 | El Mogor, Ensenada (12 Aug): Gypsy Project (Jazz en El Mogor). | Los Angeles Times. Documentary unpublished. |
| 2017 | Museo Tamayo — tribute to Ornette Coleman (with Muñoz & Nandayapa). | Museos de México. |
| 2017 | Casa de la Ciudad / Biblioteca Henestrosa (Jazz Oax II) with Alfonso Muñoz. | Ciudadanía Express. |
| 2018 | Tijuana Jazz School: master classes in guitar and film scoring. | Taller de Músics. |
| 2024 | Procesión: Tiempo de Gigantes (Oaxaca) — artistic director; score Cinco Gigantes. | El Imparcial, NVI, Quadratin. |
| 2025 | Zinco Jazz Club, Mexico City (19 Jun, 21:00): Samba Jazz — Marga Pesoa, Irán Farías and Pere Soto. | Contratiempo Jazz listings; cover $200. |
Documented concerts
Zinco Jazz Club · Pere Soto Quartet
Pere Soto’s first documented appearance at what was then the leading jazz club in Mexico City. He returned to play at Zinco on several later occasions. The club’s own poster announced El legado de Django Reinhardt — Pere Soto Quartet en el Zinco.
From Barcelona, a specialist in gypsy jazz delivering a raw dose of swing in the purest Django style.
UNAM · Pere Soto & Mx. Gypsy Project
Jazz concert — homage to Django Reinhardt.
- Pere Soto — solo guitar
- César Hernández — rhythm guitar
- Beto Garza — double bass
- Arodi Martínez — saxophone
“The concert was officially listed in the cultural programme of the Centro de Enseñanza para Extranjeros (CEPE), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.”
Teatro Ángela Peralta · Pere Soto & The Swinging Gitanos
Concert presented as part of a double musical program at the Teatro Ángela Peralta. Contemporary coverage in Atención San Miguel described Pere Soto as a Spanish master guitarist and pioneer of Gypsy Jazz and announced his performance with The Swinging Gitanos.
- Pere Soto — guitar
- Julián Arcos — guitar
- Jacobo Hechem — guitar
- Gilberto González — double bass
CENART · Pere Soto & Galaxian Swingers
Festival ¡Todos a jugar con música de jazz y más! — third edition of the festival organized by the Alas y Raíces programme of the Secretaría de Cultura. The 2016 edition took jazz as its thematic axis and was linked to International Jazz Day. The programme brought together more than 200 activities and reached 43,688 participants over two days.
Concert: Una leyenda manouche intergaláctica — Gypsy Jazz and clown concert. First live presentation of the album of the same name.
Synopsis: a delirious narration about an extraterrestrial grandmother who spread across her planet an obsession with gypsy jazz after a platonic love born on one of her journeys.
- Pere Soto — guitars, computer, composition, musical direction
- Juan Manuel Castrejón — clown-actor
- Enrique Hultz — rhythm guitar
- Luri Molina — double bass
- Víctor Monterrubio — drums, percussion
Zinco Jazz Club · Samba Jazz
Samba Jazz — Marga Pesoa, Irán Farías and Pere Soto — at the same club where Soto first played in Mexico City in 2008. Listed in the Contratiempo Jazz agenda.
- Marga Pesoa — voice and compositions
- Pere Soto — guitar and compositions
- Irán Farías “El Menor” — percussion
Other highlighted milestones
CENART · Pere Soto & Galaxian Swingers · 30 April 2016
Festival ¡Todos a jugar con música de jazz y más! at the Centro Nacional de las Artes (Alas y Raíces / Secretaría de Cultura; International Jazz Day). Concert Una leyenda manouche intergaláctica — gypsy jazz and clown; live premiere of the album. More than 200 activities and 43,688 participants. Full entry · Rehearsal · The album
Lunario · Mexico City · 4 February 2016
Gypsy Guitar Project at the Lunario of the Auditorio Nacional, with Silvie Henry Germain. Gypsy jazz, classical, electroacoustic and fusion. Press covered the Django Reinhardt homage. Concert video
Tijuana & ICBC · 27 August 2016
Open Gypsy Jazz masterclass at Multiforo ICBC, 17:00 concert at Plaza de Eventos · Plaza Río Tijuana (ICBC Cultura / Secretaría de Cultura), improvisation workshop. Poster
Museo Tamayo · 2017
Tribute to Ornette Coleman with Alfonso Muñoz and Gustavo Nandayapa. Video
Procesión: Tiempo de Gigantes · Oaxaca · 2024
Artistic direction and premiere of Cinco Gigantes for symphony orchestra and contemporary dance.
Press and documents
- CEPE-UNAM programme and poster (PDF)
- San Miguel de Allende · Atención San Miguel (PDF)
- Interview · Tiempo (Mexico) (PDF)
- Interview II · Tiempo (PDF)
- Zinco Jazz Club · cartel (PDF)
- Triunfant — extract (PDF)
- La Jornada (2016)
- El Economista (2016)
- Milenio (2016)
- Los Angeles Times / AFN (2016)
- El Imparcial de Oaxaca (2024)
- Quadratin Oaxaca (2024)