DON & RHONDA

Don & Rondha

are fine musicians from Canada who have been performing in Puerto Vallarta for over twenty years. In fact, their youngest child was born here and all of their children are fluent in Spanish. The musicians met in a band years ago and first came to Puerto Vallarta on the Love Boat where they worked as entertainers.

You'll enjoy their mix of pop hits with golden oldies on the piano with guitar accompaniment. Rhonda also does vocals for some of the songs in her light, sexy voice. "Killing Me Softly", "Bye Bye Blues", and "Fever" are songs you might hear.
They recently released another CD with their group Katmandu called Raga Maso with Latin rhythms, Indian scales and Jazz, a fusion composed by Don, all original music, featuring some of the finest local musicians.

Donald Richard Pope was a rocker in his home town of Calgary, then on to London where he trained in jazz and classical guitar. His training in the sitar began in Vancouver and on a trip to India in 1981, the group Katmandu was formed. Can you guess where?

Rhonda Padmos also comes from Calgary where she played the piano as soon as she could reach the keyboard, at about five years old. With training in classical music as well as a vocalist, Rhonda has played with Don for over 30 years even while putting out her first solo album "A Billion Years Too Soon" in 1991.

Katmandu released their first album "Amamsté" in 1997 with instrumentals and jazzy solos. Other group members include Oscar Terrazas, who also plays sax and flute in Thierry Blouet Cocina de Autor, Guillermo (Willow) Brizzio on guitar and Michael Mattson on drums and percussion.

Don and Rhonda perform at summer festivals in Canada during the summer, which is also a quieter time in Puerto Vallarta, while during the season they entertain six nights a week since 1986 when they first established a residence in this city.