Andres Orco-Zerpa

Biography:

I’m originally from Caracas, Venezuela. My music studies began at an early age with piano and violin but quickly shifted to electric guitar when I heard British blues-rock bands like Led Zeppelin and Cream. Soon after, I was introduced to jazz via John Coltrane and, completely mystified by his transcendent improvisations, I decided to pursue jazz performance in college. Prior to Yale, I performed throughout the Denver metropolitan area, taught private lessons, and served as a lecturer at the University of Colorado Boulder, teaching courses in jazz theory, composition, and arranging. Outside of my academic work, I like to cook, play chess, dabble in computer programming, and spend time with family.

Education:

DMA in Jazz Performance and Pedagogy, University of Colorado Boulder, 2023

MM in Jazz Performance, New England Conservatory of Music, 2020

BM in Guitar Performance and Music Business, Berklee College of Music, 2014

Research Interests:

I’m currently interested in music cognition and computational modeling of music perception systems, especially as they pertain rhythm and meter. I’m primarily interested in our ability to infer and abstract meter and temporal structure from music. In previous research, I focused on rhythmic and harmonic complexity in contemporary jazz. My article, “Meter in Contemporary Jazz: A Practitioner-Based Approach,” was published December 2025 in the journal Revue Musicale OICRM. I have also presented at conferences organized by the Society of Music Theory, Rhythm in Music Since 1900, and the University of Buffalo Guitar Research Conference.