Julian Loida

Called “one of the Boston music scene's most valuable players” by The Art Fuse, Julian Loida is a percussionist, composer, and producer. Loida’s musical curiosity and open-mindedness has propelled him towards a wide-range of sounds, genres, and artistic endeavors. He’s performed jazz, folk, and classical, collaborating with dancers, visual artists, songwriters/composers, and musicians of all stripes. The thirst to participate in and experience this range of sounds is partly a product of Loida’s synesthesia. Music is a full- body experience for him, with sounds often invoking involuntary sensations of color, texture, or even taste.

Loida's musical footprint spans various ensembles and genres like INÁ (Cuba/Brazilian), Mojuba (jazz), and Night Tree (chamber-folk) and his compositions featured in diverse media including films, ads, and dance. With a discography spanning singles, EPs, award-winning dance films, and albums, including "Bach LIVE!" (2018) and "Wallflower" (2019), Loida's diverse musical expression covers vibraphone, voice, electronics, piano, strings, and percussion. Loida has collaborated with notable producers including Seamus Eagan, Maeve Gilchrest, Charles van Kirk, Dan Cardinal. Notably, in 2021, Splice entrusted Loida to create their inaugural vibraphone sample pack, "Vibraphone Explorations". His most recent album, "Giverny," lauded by WBUR for its artistry and continual innovation, was released in May 2023.

An accomplished international performer, Loida has graced stages at prominent music festivals like Korrö in Sweden, Spoleto Festival USA, New World Festival, the Exit Zero jazz festival, Caramoor American Roots Festival, and various U.S. stages and events, such as The Cape Playhouse and the Silkroad’s Global Musician Workshop. He has premiered works by composers Helmut Lachenmann, Jennifer Higdon, and John Luther Adams. He has performed with groups such as Alarm Will Sound, Castle of Our Skins, Parsonsfield, the Callithumpian Consort, Tonina Saputo, Fabiola Mendez, Veronica Robles, Taylor Ashton, Alkinoos Ioannidis, Amanda Ekery, Rachel Sumner, Jenna Moynihan, Brian Calhoon, Atlys String Quartet, the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, The New Bedford Symphony, and MassOpera.

Loida intertwines his passion for social justice with his passion for music, participating in initiatives like The Peace Studio's global artist cohort and managing Shelter Music Boston’s Children and Family Shelter Program. He shares his musical talents in a variety of community settings (healthcare, nursing homes, libraries, yoga studios, and schools) and teaches weekly at the Epiphany School, an independent school for children of economically-disadvantaged families in Boston.

He received his Master’s Degree in Classical Percussion from New England Conservatory and his Bachelor’s Degree in Classical Percussion from Indiana University’s Jacob’s School of Music.