Kike Pinto Cárdenas
I was born in Lima in 1956 to migrant parents from the Andes of Peru. I began singing and practicing music at a very early age, and since childhood, I aspired to be a composer and musical director. I enrolled in the National Conservatory of Music to study Composition, but the popular music of my country captivated me. As a result, I dedicated myself to studying and practicing it self-taught, as there were no schools offering it.
This is how I came into contact with the indigenous cultures of my country and encountered peoples who, through music, always present in their rituals, communicate with Pachamama (Mother Earth), lakes, rivers, mountains, and the elements.
In the Community of San Pedro de Casta, in the department of Lima, I participated in their ceremonies and learned to compose and sing songs for the Water cult (Walina).
In the Japu Community, Q’ero Nation, in the department of Cusco, I was initiated into their «Cosmovision,» and thus, I learned of their loving relationship with the Apus and Pachamama, as well as their Traditional Music.
With representatives and teachers from Native Amazonian peoples, I learned to compose and sing ceremonial songs (Ikaros) inspired by expanded states of consciousness and their Sacred Plants.
In addition to traditional rituals, I have also composed for cinema, theater, and songs in various styles and languages.
