Melody Feo is a researcher, producer and performer whose musical work has been centered on the Chuana (Colombian Gaita) and its interpretation in traditional rhythms from the Caribbean region of Colombia. Melody is a co-founder of Maraca Bruja, an NYC-based ensemble that plays traditional gaita, merengue, porro, puya, and cumbia music. She also produced Resistencia Sonora, a recording project of traditional gaita music featuring campesino musical elders from Ovejas, Sucre, Colombia. As a performer Melody has performed at the 2023 MATA Festival and has played with the all-women ensemble, La Manga, opening for artists such as Vieux Farka Touré. Melody seeks to use music to facilitate experiences for authentic cross-cultural connections, particularly with migrant communities. With this in mind, she organizes educational spaces in New York City to share the musical traditions and experiences that have shaped her own practice – these include Gaita-making workshops, the Mangas Brujas drum and gaita workshop for women and gender non-conforming people, and the Rueda de Oro space for Afro-diasporic, Indigenous and Mestizo oral and musical expressions from the Caribbean region of Colombia.
Melody Feo
