Angelo Cueto

Angelo Cueto is a San Diego-based jazz guitarist, performer, and educator who earned his Master of Music

in Jazz Performance from San Diego State University in spring 2026. A dedicated student of jazz and its

tradition, Angelo has been studying music since 2016 and has developed his craft through years of

performance, mentorship, teaching, and immersion in the music.

During his graduate studies at SDSU, Angelo expanded his work as an educator alongside his development

as a performer. For a year, he co-taught a small jazz ensemble alongside acclaimed trumpeter Gilbert

Castellanos, working directly with students on ensemble playing, improvisation, musicianship, and the

language of jazz. He also co-taught a Jazz Elements course with SDSU Director of Jazz Studies Brian Levy,

gaining experience teaching jazz in both ensemble and classroom settings.

Angelo's pursuit of the music has taken him beyond San Diego to workshops, performances, and jazz

communities across the country, including Austin, Texas and New York City. Following the completion of

his master's degree, he returned to New York for a month-long stay, immersing himself in the city's jazz

scene and performing at local clubs. He has since returned to San Diego, where he remains active as a

gigging musician and continues to study, perform, and develop his voice on the guitar.

As an educator, Angelo aims to help musicians build the musical foundation, discipline, and curiosity

necessary to develop their own voices. His teaching is informed not only by his academic background, but

by his continued experience as a working musician and his belief that jazz is learned through a combination

of listening, study, mentorship, collaboration, and performance.

Angelo plans to continue his academic and artistic development by pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts on the

East Coast. Whether performing, teaching, or studying, he approaches jazz as a lifelong pursuit that

continues to deepen with every opportunity to play, learn, and share the music with others.