The workshop will be in English or Spanish.

A simple percussion instrument is fun to make and play. Also, it can be a gift to friends and family. In this workshop, you will make four simple percussion instruments: a rain stick, a shaker, a bull roar and a thunder drum. The first two are pretty well known. The last two are less common but have a beautiful sound. The bull roar and the shaker are relatively quick to put together. The rainstick and the thunder drum require a bit more skilla, but Orlando will teach you how to make them successfully. The instruments are suitable for children aged seven and up.

At the end of the workshop, you will have a variety of simple but fully functional percussion instruments that you can play and/or give as presents to friends and family. The difficulty of making them start from very simple to easy to moderately easy.

Orlando Aguilar Velazquez was born and raised in Mexico City. He studied at the National University of Mexico. In 2006 he moved to the Netherlands to study at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, where he obtained his Master’s degree in percussion. He has performed in North, Central, and South America, Europe and Asia.

Grown in a neighbourhood full of woodworkers and blacksmiths, he began making things as a kid. He has built instruments for various performers, ensembles and orchestras in Mexico, The Netherlands, Germany, other European countries, and the Americas. Currently, Orlando divides his time between performances with various ensembles and as a builder of percussion instruments in his studio in The Hague.