BECAUSE OF HIS PASSION FOR HUMAN CONNECTION AND CONTINUOUS LEARNING...
Cesar I. Pimentel Ortiz started his journey in music at the age of fifteen. Under the mentorship of his teacher and mentor in middle school, Eduardo Alicea, he started his first music lessons on the trombone. When noticing the passion for music that Cesar was showing, Mr. Alicea did everything he could to allow Cesar to audition for the Escuela Libre de Musica de Caguas (Free Music School of Caguas, Puerto Rico.) After being admitted to the Free Music School, Cesar started an enriching journey in music that led him to take lessons with his mentors Hector “Luty” Maldonado and Miguel Rivera. Additionally, the Free Music School gave Cesar a platform to play with different small and large ensembles, with Latin Music singers such as Cheo Feliciano, Andy Montañez, Charlie Aponte, etc. From this school, Cesar also started his professional career in music, playing with the Municipal Band of Caguas, his church (First Baptist Church of Caguas), and the classical music scene, where he had the opportunity to play the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem.
With the guidance and mentorship of Miguel Rivera, Cesar attended as an auditor to the Alessi Seminar in 2007. This experience was crucial to his decision to study music at the college level in the Puerto Rico Music Conservatory in 2008. Under the mentorship of Dr. Luis Fred, he had the opportunity to play for renowned trombone players such as Joseph Alessi, Michael Mulcahy, Harry Waters, Jon Whitaker, among other mentors. In addition, it was at the Conservatory that Cesar had the opportunity to play on the 2011’s edition of the Casals Music Festival of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra. He also continued his professional appearances with ensembles such as the National Wind Symphony of Puerto Rico, sharing stages with singers such as Danny Rivera, Lucecita Benitez, Nydia Caro, and other renowned artists.
After he graduated from the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico in 2015 and a brief pause in his career in music that provided him a new and much-needed perspective of life, Cesar Pimentel had the opportunity to teach in the Department of Education in Puerto Rico. After being the music teacher at the Cayey School of the Arts, he had the chance to be the Folkloric Ballet Brumas de Borikén’s music director in Cayey, Puerto Rico. With that ensemble, Cesar performed in different cities in Puerto Rico and various cities in France.
In the 2017’s edition of the Casals Festival, Cesar Pimentel had his last appearance on a musical stage in Puerto Rico before accepting a Navy Fleet Bands Program position as a trombone instrumentalist. From December 2017 to 2021, he was a member of the Navy Band Southeast, in Jacksonville Florida. In this period, Cesar has performed in different stages and accepted invitations as a Guest Artist in many educational institutions around Florida, including the University of Central Florida, in Orlando. In this same institution, he started his Master’s Degree under the mentorship of Dr. Luis Fred. From 2019 to the present, Cesar Pimentel has been under the mentorship of Karen Cubides. With this agency, he continues to gain perspective that has helped him to define his mission. Also, he has been a participant of the two editions of the Body, Mind, Spirit workshops, led by Jeremy Wilson and Karen Cubides.

Currently, Cesar Pimentel is a member of the Fleet Forces Band in Virginia while also continues his formation as a trombonist under the mentorship of James Markey, Jeremy Wilson, Dr. Luis Fred, among others.