San Diego Flute Retreat Clinician Bios

Wilfrido Terrazas (Willy/he/él) is a flutist, improviser, composer, and educator based in San Diego, originally from Ensenada, Mexico. His work explores the edges of notation, improvisation, and collective creativity, and finds inspiration in various experimentalist lineages, Mexican folk traditions, and poetry. He has premiered over 400 works, composed more than 80, and recorded 60+ albums released internationally. Wilfrido has appeared at leading festivals and venues across 22 countries, he is a core member of Generación Espontánea, Mexico City’s pioneering improvisers’ collective, and co–organizes the Semana Internacional de Improvisación in Ensenada.

Since 2017, he has been a professor of music at the University of California San Diego. 

Ruben Hernandez studied Music Education & Percussion Performance at San Diego State University. His work as a classical player has allowed him to perform alongside great composers, conductors, players and orchestras, including: Gustavo Dudamel, Orquesta de Baja California, Eduardo Diaz-Muñoz, Matthew Rowe, Eduardo Garcia Barrios, Armando Pesqueira, Michael Daugherty, Steven Bryant, Dimitri Dudin, Catalin Rotaru, Horacio Franco, Opera de Tijuana, Opera Ambulante, Tijuana Camerata, and several others. Outside classical music, Ruben's work as percussionist includes a variety of ensembles, from Mexican Folk Music, to Rock, Jazz, Flamenco, and more. He is currently a member of “Quarteto Malandro” a Prog-Rock Fusion Ensemble, and the Folk-Rock-Klezmer band “La Ballena de Jonas”. He also serves as a guest performer for the Baja California Orchestra, Tijuana Camerata, and for “Madame Ur y sus Hombres” (Jazzy Trip-Hop). 

Ruben teaches percussion and drums at the San Diego Youth Symphony, The OPUS Community Project, the Tijuana Youth Symphony, The San Diego Unified District, and The Carlsbad School District. He has formed part of the International Teaching Faculty as the Percussion Instructor for the YOLA National Festival (formerly known as National Take a Stand Festival) in 2016 (Aspen, CO & Bard College, NY), 2017, 2018 and 2019 (Los Angeles, CA). He also serves as the Director of “Percusiones de las Californias” a percussion institution that serves the Tijuana and San Diego communities with lessons, clinics, master-classes, community drum-circles and an annual percussion festival in Tijuana, Mexico. He also has been part of a series of composition workshops projects in Orchkids (Baltimore, MD), Accent Pontiac (Pontiac, MI), Sympatico (Alexandria, VA) and Bravo (Portland, OR). 

Ruben Hernandez proudly endorses: Dream Cymbals, Innovative Percussion, Grover Pro Percussion, JGPercussion and REMO. 

 Anahita Pestonjamasp is a flutist and educator based in San Diego. She enjoys teaching students of all ages, and currently coaches at schools in the San Diego North County area. While flute was her area of study during her education, she also received piano training in her undergraduate studies. 

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In 2020, she was a finalist in the San Diego Flute Guild’s Young Artist Competition (final round cancelled). Anahita has also performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall, Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center, and Copley Symphony Hall. She greatly enjoys performing in chamber and orchestral settings, with groups such as San Diego New Music and the La Jolla Symphony. A supporter of the Southern California flute community, she currently serves as Vice President for the San Diego Flute Guild’s Board. Anahita earned her Bachelor of Music degree at San Diego State University, and her Master of Music degree from the Mannes School of Music at The New School (New York, NY).