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Bio

Juan Megna is a drummer-percussionist based in Washington DC. Juan Megna is a versatile musician who musically transits between Afro-Brazilian genres, Jazz, Argentine milongas, and chacareras.

He had played/recorded with Tedd Baker, Michael Bowie,  Shawn Purcell, and well-regarded Brazilian artists such as Vinicius Dorim, Rubinho Antunes, Bruno Mangueira, and Felipe Silveira among others.

In 2017, Juan moved to the Washington DC metropolitan area. and formed The Juan Megna Group, with a repertoire based on original tunes, blended with jazz, Argentinian, and Afro-Brazilian rhythms.

Juan Megna studied at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP-Sao Paulo BR) obtaining his undergraduate diploma in 2008. He earned his Master's degree at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music (2017), and his Doctorate in Musical Arts at George Mason University (2021). As an educator, Juan Megna lectures at Catholic University’s Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art and also leads George Mason University’s Latin-American Ensemble. This group has been awarded by the DownBeat Magazine with the 42nd (2019), 43rd (2020), and 44th (2021)  students awards as an “Outstanding Performance”. 

As a clinician, Juan’s performances include "The Brazilian 16th-note phrasing through Cabula rhythm, Samba, and Bossa Nova", focusing on developing Afro-Brazilian popular genres in Brazil at the Jazz Education Network conference, New Orleans 2020.

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Photo credit: ©2023, Suzette Niess Photography.

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