Carmen Liliana Marulanda (b. Bogotá 1976) is a Colombian composer, flutist and music teacher who has worked in some of the most challenging areas of musical pedagogy, such as the Batuta orchestral program for refugee children on the outskirts of Bogotá, in the early 2000's, where she created sets of pieces adapted to their very special requirements. Her artistic and professional life express the deep influence of Colombia's rich traditions; her goals were shaped by the formidable requirements of teaching in Latin America today.

 

As a child she learned the Colombian repertoire, playing flute with the school band, immersed in the discovery of her musical roots; later she entered the important State Band, then founded her own ensemble, for which she composed original music and was awarded important recognitions. (We should mention the coveted Grand Prize for Best Instrumental Group at the XXIX Festival Mono Núñez in 2003 – the most important festival in Colombia, a prize awarded to her chamber quintet Camaradería and her compositions).

 

After earning a degree in Music Teaching from the Pedagogical University of Colombia, composing and teaching flute in several local institutions, she began work on a creative project she is still expanding and perfecting today, after nearly a decade in the US; a venture mainly devoted to creating and publishing original, innovative technical texts for teachers and students, in a collection of progressive methods she composed, based on Latin American genres.

 

Her company, Liliflute Music, also publishes original concert music by Latin American composers, mostly for flute and woodwinds; a catalogue of over 50 works she is expanding nearly every month.

 

The driving goal in her work as a composer, teacher and publisher has been to maximize the use and diffusion of traditional Latin American rhythms, melodies and musical structures, to increase the effectiveness of practice and the pleasure of performing music differently.

 

Carmen Marulanda has taught workshops throughout the US in various Flute conventions and festivals, garnering the most enthusiastic feedback for her pedagogical publications from many in the teaching community. She also holds a Master's degree in Musical Therapy from the University of Barcelona, Spain.