For the love of music: A chat with Smartmatic’s performers – Part I

Heider García: “My life is a soundtrack collection”

A film is - or should be - more like music than like fiction.  It should be a progression of moods and feelings.

The theme, what's behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later.

—Stanley Kubrick

Source: http://www.layoutsparks.com

Smartmatic is one of those companies where musicians and music-lovers are all over the map. From its CEO downwards, technology and music combine within the DNA of several people here. Some of whom have decided to share their thoughts on making music as an extraordinary complement to their lives, alongside or despite their jobs.

One of them is Heider García, Solution Manager at Smartmatic. Understanding the meaning of music for Heider resembles the production of a Hollywood-style film (or maybe a more indie-kind of art). From pre-production to the final touches of the masterpiece before its exhibition, the path is a mixture of passion, lifelong involvement, surprises, and lessons learned while losing and recovering the faith in the process, but ultimately loving the possibility to touch some souls.

Music is a fundamental part of his life, “it has been vital in the development of my personality and it is always a reflection of my mood as well as a trigger of memories”, he says, while he deduces: “I could say my life is a soundtrack collection.”

He connects with music trough playing bass, which he has been doing since he was nineteen. “I haven’t managed to play it continuously,” he adds, explaining that the overwhelming workload was the reason forcing him to leave the bass aside for several years. Nevertheless, marriage brought many wonders to this musician. “It was after I got married that I resumed my playing, as my wife realised how much I missed it and surprised me on my birthday with an excellent bass!”

A musician’s heart living a tech manager’s life

Heider describes the ambiguities of mixing his passion with his job in simple words. “I guess there is a connection between my job and my music. Both worlds collide when I have a gig and my friends and coworkers join us to watch the performance, but this always happens in a relaxed and informal mood. However, I rather keep my music as something very personal.”

On one hand, music offers him a two-way learning process. The opportunity of performing live helped him, for example, to overcome his stage fright. “Sometimes people ask me if I don’t get nervous while making a presentation, giving a lecture at a conference or speaking at a committee. I truly believe that the reason my answer is usually “no”, it is because of my experience performing in public and what music has taught me.”

On the other hand, there are complications when trying to balance both things. “It is a pity, but the truth is that sometimes overwork is the reason I don’t practice as much as I would like to. Right now, for example, I am in Manila while writing this and I haven’t played bass for over a month.” But those who want it, make it possible. Nowadays, Heider still practices and performs. “I’m a member of a band with some Panamanian friends, through which we occasionally get gigs in bars and parties. We get together every Sunday for a couple of hours, to practice and organise the repertoire. Those two hours are my weekly getaway from everything, even from work.”

There are several musicians in Smartmatic, which somehow make it easy to relate with each other and make plans to share their hobby. “Some of us have even talked about forming a band in Panama, maybe to play in some social events or company’s gatherings. But then again, between our tight schedules, traveling calendars and moves around the world, it’s been two years of a dream yet to materialise.” Keep it rolling though, remember that according to some, Software Engineers make great musicians!