Natalia Merlano Gomez | Voice

 

Natalia Merlano Gomez is a vocal artist and improviser who specializes in experimental practices. Her work explores the voice from different perspectives, incorporating a wide range of vocal experiences, from folk music from Latin America to experimental approaches, and everyday vocal expressions that can be transformed into artistic practice. She uses pedal effects and loopers, which add layers of sound, texture, meaning, and transformation. In recent years, she has also engaged with analog synthesizers. As a creator, she focuses on developing and experimenting with graphical notation, improvisational pieces, and electroacoustic music.

She has led various projects, including the album "Resonancias Entrelazadas" (2021), which features ten pieces by women composers from different countries and five improvisations performed in collaboration with female improvisers. In 2022, she premiered the "CINCO" project, showcasing works by Latin American composers created for the album. In 2024, in collaboration with David Aguila on their project, Duo Lingua, they released the album "Unrestricted Lanes" under the Bogotana Records label. This album featured works by UCSD composers and performances by label members.

She studied at the Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas in Bogotá, Colombia, and at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart, Germany. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of California, San Diego.