Rolando Valladares is a composer, conductor and the general director of the OnoZone International Music Festival. He also participates in several international festivals throughout North America and Europe as musical director of the Pueblo Nuevo artistic group and serves as technical director for the series “El Marc y la Music” in Guayaquil where he’s produced more than 300 events.

Rolando is also the executive director of Corporación Ono Zone pro Música, a non-profit organization that develops cultural and social projects for underprivileged groups with children and adolescents in Quito. He has composed works and made musical arrangements for the main symphony orchestras in Ecuador as well as for many musical productions with artists at the national and international level.

Pablo Valladares, Artistic Director and founder of the Ono Zone International Music Festival, is a young Ecuadorian pianist born in the city of Quito, Ecuador. Valladares credentials came from Drake University where he received his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance under the instruction of Dr. Nicholas Roth. Valladares is currently continuing his studies in piano at Western Michigan University studying with Professor Lori Sims.

Valladares made his debut as soloist at the age of 14 under the direction of Jose Alvarez and the Symphony Orchestra from Loja, Ecuador. By the age of 18, Valladares had already performed with all the major orchestras from Ecuador, including the National Symphony Orchestra. During his career, he has also performed in several countries around the world including China, Austria, and the United States.

As artistic director, Pablo connects artists from around the world and brings them to the city of Ecuador. Valladares’ commitment to music and artist’s development in his country has become the most important focus for creating an international environment where students and musicians from all over the world meet in the beautiful city of Quito and work together to develop a stronger musical structure for the future of music of young students.

Hannah Keisker is a classical saxophonist from St. Louis, Missouri with an educational background in both journalism and music. She’s lived abroad in Chongqing, China where she served as a journalism professor at the Southwest University of Law & Politics and taught at a music school introducing children to the saxophone. Hannah’s experiences abroad and her background help her to promote and document the OnoZone International Music Festival and assist in the overall production of the festival.

Ian Estrem is a sound engineer from Des Moines, Iowa. He works with a variety of venues and recording and production companies throughout the city. Ian attended the first Ono Zone International Music Festival as a performer and the only American clarinet student. He currently manages all audio and video documentation of each performance and assists with the overall production of the festival.