Juan Pepe Santana is a musician, educator, and instrument maker based in Stanhope, New Jersey. Born in Ecuador, Pepe moved to the U.S. in the 1960s, where he has performed and taught Andean traditions. Pepe plays over twenty Native wind instruments and multiple string instruments. He founded the Festival of the Andes at Waterloo Village, and directed several Andean festivals at Lincoln Center, Town Hall, and Symphony Space. Pepe has lectured nationally and internationally. He was an artist in residence at the National Museum of the American Indian: Smithsonian Institution, and has delivered workshops on instrument making in venues including the Museum of Natural History. Pepe founded the ensemble INKHAY (Quechua: “to tend the fire”), which interprets traditional music from the Andes Mountains of Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador. Pepe was a master folk musician in the Apprenticeship Program of the NJSCA, and was awarded the National Merit and Title of Great Gentleman by the Ecuadorian Government.
Interviewed by Tamar Sella, 10/16/2020