Angel Wagner, musical director of Grupo Fantasia and master percussionist,
plays more than 30 instruments. Angel has studied at the Harbor Arts
Academy in New York, The Berklee College of Music in Boston and in the 1990’s, tutored on congas under Grammy nominee, GIOVANNI HIDALGO. Currently, Angel is a band leader, percussion teacher, director of the Wagner Multicultural Workshop and percussionist in his band Grupo Fantasia.
Originally from the Dominican Republic, Angel began his career playing
with a cheese grater and fork! At age eleven, Angel went on professional tour
with a Merengue band, later performing in Miami and at Madison Square
Garden in New York. Angel has performed with such groups as "Aramis
Camilo",
Orquestra Cafe",
"Luis Ovalles" and "Manguito".
Angel formed Grupo Fantasia in 1993, with musicians from all around the
world. Over the
years, Fantasia has performed at the "Calle Ocho" festival
in Miami, as well as touring extensively throughout the Northeast. His
performances include a multitude of schools, universities, colleges,
fundraisers, private functions and musical extravaganzas, affording him
to team up with the most exclusive event coordinators and party
planners in New England.
Angel Wagner provides traditional island entertainment for all people and much
of the
music is performed on original, handmade indigenous instruments. The
extensive repertoire includes original and cover songs from the Caribbean and Latin America.
Also represented are various Cuban, Dominican Merengue, Puerto Rican Bomba and
Plena, Colombian Cumbia,
Mexican Mariachi, Calypso, Reggae and Salsa music.
Some of Angel's performances
include, The Lowell Folk Life Center, Museum of Fine Arts, The Concord
Museum, The Museum of Science, The De Cordova Museum, Castle Hill and
the Boston Children's Museum. In July of 1996 he performed on the State House steps for the passing of the Olympic Torch
in Providence, Rhode Island. Angel was honored on two occasions in 1998
by performing for President Clinton and Mrs. Clinton and Senator Ted Kennedy for the Saint Jude's Children's Hospital Annual Fundraiser at the Wang Center.
Fantasia has won many awards in Latin categories, including Boston's prestigious 1993 Expose Award for BEST SPANISH BAND (1993), runner up in the Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce Award for Education (1999) and The 2003 Boston Music Award Nominee for BEST WORLD CLASS ACT. Angel has filmed television programs including: "Pachanga Latina" for WUNI 27, PBS programs and "Mosaic" for WLVI TV 56 in Boston. Film credits include "THE BLUE DINER" (2001) and “MY BEST FRIEND’S GIRL” (2008).
Fantasia regularly performs at such Boston clubs as Avalon, Zoe’s, The Roxy, Brazo,The Beehive and The Jorge Hernandez Cultural Center.
Angel's love for fine dining mixed with his adoration of great music has led him to perform for many celebrity chefs and their restaurants. Just some of the literally hundreds, include "The Naked Fish", "Acapulco's", "The Bay Tower Room", "Sombreros", "The Madfish Grille", “The Studio”,” Bella Mia”, "The Fireplace", "The Cottonwood Cafe", "The Cactus Club", "Locke-Ober's", "Bella Mia" "Stephanie's on Newbury", “Captain Carlos” and “The Beehive.”
Fantasia
has won many awards in Latin categories, including Boston's
prestigious 1993 Expose Award for BEST SPANISH BAND (1993), runner up in
the Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce Award for Education (1999) and
The 2003 Boston Music Award Nominee for BEST WORLD CLASS ACT. Angel has filmed
television programs including: "Pachanga Latina" for WUNI 27,
PBS programs and "Mosaic" for WLVI TV 56 in Boston. Film credits
include "THE BLUE DINER" (2001), Mariachi Fantasia can be seen in the 2008 feature motion picture "MY BESTFRIEND'S GIRL" starring Kate Hudson and Dane Cook.
Angel's love for fine dining mixed with his adoration of great music has
led him to perform for many celebrity chefs and their restaurants. Just
some of the literally hundreds, include "The Naked Fish",
"Acapulco's", "The Bay Tower Room",
"Sombreros", "The Madfish Grille", "The
Fireplace", "The Cottonwood Cafe", "The Cactus
Club", "Locke-ober's", "Division 16" and
"Stephanie's on Newbury".
Angel Wagner and Fantasia have teamed up with the Mass Cultural
Council and NEFA, with available GRANTS and
FUNDING for qualifying applicants. Information, school programming and
current rates can be obtained through Grupo Fantasia's AWARD-WINNING Web
site at WWW.GRUPOFANTASIA.COM
or e-mailing Tabriz6@aol.com.
Angel and his wife Karen reside in the seaside city of Beverly, Mass.
contact: KAREN WAGNER 978-927-6205
visit us at WWW.GRUPOFANTASIA.COM
YOU TUBE: GRUPOFANTASIA click here
REFERENCES:
Triton
Jr. High School
Percussion Program Coinciding With Hispanic Heritage Month /Spanish
Programs
Rep: Ann Welch 978-465-2397
Thomas Blake Middle School,
Medfield, MA
Cindy Dalpe cdalpe@comcast.net
Click
here to view a recent article about Grupo
Fantasia published in the
Ipswich Chronicle.
