The essence of percussion is embodied in Jhon Freddy Rojas

For Jhon Freddy Rojas, the sonority and rhythmic versatility of percussion instruments have allowed him to experience the deepest emotions. His passion for music began at the age of 11 at the Music School of his town, Ciudad Bolívar, with which he participated in different musical events at the departmental, national and international level. He was part of the Departmental Symphonic Band of Antioquia (1998–2000) and the University of Antioquia (2013–2015). Today he lives his dream between marimbas, timbales and drums with the Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra.

Ciudad Bolívar feels the music 

Ciudad Bolívar is located in the Southwest of Antioquia, and is located at the highest point of the mountain range known as the Farallones del Citará. Its Music School was born in 1987 as an education and training project for children and young people, with a School Band and seedbeds, composition and orchestration, among others. The School's purpose is to generate bonds of peace and be an engine for social development; It has also had international reach, to the point of being the first music school in the national territory that participated in the International Band Festival of Valencia, Spain.

This is the land of Jhon Fredy Rojas “Chiqui”, whose life is full of music, from when he started at his music school to his participation in the Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra, of which he has been a part since 2009, initially as a supernumerary. Jhon Fredy always returns to the rivers, the mountains and the striking colors of the streets and houses of his native municipality.

Lucero Vargas is Jhon Freddy's non-biological mother, but she is also his teacher and inspiration, and her passion is teaching percussion at the Ciudad Bolívar y Jardín Music School, “But in addition to teaching classes, she plays in bands, coordinates seedbeds and even acts as a secretary. "She was my driving force to be in music," expresses John.

Particularly, in the music schools of Antioquia, students begin with percussion, but over time they discover their affinity for other types of instruments; Jhon Freddy did not want to try another one, the possibility of rhythms and the sonorous richness of percussion captivated him since he was a child and his life since then has been full of timbales, snare drums, marimbas and more.

“Coming to Medellín from various municipalities and having the opportunity to join Filarmed is a source of pride for all of us who began a path in music from schools, in the municipalities. When I visit Ciudad Bolívar I always try to contribute, playing with the bands; “I like to support the training processes of the municipality”, says the musician.

Devotion to percussion 

Percussion is said to be the oldest form of musical instrument. Human beings have always hit, scraped, shaken or bumped elements found in nature such as seeds, branches, trunks and shells. With the appearance of tools, the shapes of the instruments varied, and today in concerts we find the timpani, the marimbas, the vibraphone, the cymbals, the tambourine, and dozens of other percussion instruments.

“At the age of 16, I finished high school in Ciudad Bolívar and decided to travel to Medellín to pursue my professional studies at the University of Antioquia, as an instrumental musician, with an emphasis on percussion, under the guidance of teachers Alejandro Ruiz and Roberto Gómez,” says Jhon Fredy, who currently works as a professor at said university and has participated in master classes with world-class percussionists such as Giovanni Hidalgo (Puerto Rico), Evelyn Glennie (Scotland) and Martin Grubinger (Austria), among others. In addition, he has accompanied artists such as Omara Portuondo, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Checo Acosta and Fonseca, among others.

Chiqui, as Jhon Fredy Rojas is nicknamed in the artistic world, in addition to performing, is a percussion collector. At home he has around 50 instruments, some as exotic as the djembe, of African origin, belonging to the family of membranophone instruments, and other more native and traditional ones such as the congas, the vibraphone and the snare drum.

Chiqui, although she studied symphonic percussion, was always captivated by the study of Colombian and Latin music. “Versatility is one of the characteristics that makes the world of percussion possible, I have the opportunity to join any rhythm”, states the instrumentalist, who also says that, musically, percussion is easily assembled with other instruments. He frequently does it with Filarmed's brass winds, with whom they achieve strong and bright sonorities. 

Jhon Fredy, who is passionate about being a teacher and musician at the same time, enjoys both academic music and popular genres. He remembers with emotion interpreting the Symphony No. 3 in D minor by Gustav Mahler, a work dedicated to nature, under the direction of maestro Francisco Rettig. And he is always excited to interpret the popular repertoire You will take me in You, a popular hallway of Jorge Villamil.

Accomplished dreams

After 10 years as a supernumerary, in 2019 he joined the Filarmed orchestral staff under the mentorship of Daniel Mejía, his fellow member of the orchestra; and in 2024, he graduated with a master's degree in music from EAFIT University. Those were dreams come true. Now, one of his next goals is to acquire a marimba to complete his collection of instruments at home.