Outdoor Concert Featuring Tropical Mood of St. Louis Trio

Tropical Mood of St. Louis Trio, Patricia Ruiloba Gitto, Hector Molina, and Randy Gindler, performs a broad spectrum of Latin music from cover songs to original tunes by Hector Molina.

This will be an outdoor concert. Please bring your own seating and dress for the weather.

Tropical Mood of St. Louis is a local band originally conceived by cellist and singer Patricia Ruiloba Gitto with keyboard and composer Héctor Molina. The band has performed in a variety of venues from outdoor festivals to Jazz clubs with a broad spectrum of Latin music from covers to original tunes by Héctor Molina. The different styles include Latin Jazz, Bossa Nova, Boleros, Soft Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia, Bachata, Cha Cha, Latin pop-rock, Ballads, and glimpses of Reggae. 

Musician Bios...

Patricia Ruiloba Gitto, Band Leader, Vocals & Cello:  Patricia Ruiloba Gitto, vocals and cello. Born in Panama City, Rep. of Panama, Patricia is an active cello player in multiple ensembles, and had been a member of the National Symphony Orchestra of Panama. With a Masters of Music in Cello Performance from Texas State University-San Marcos, she is faculty at the Community Music School of Webster University since 2012, and she has been appointed as cello faculty in their Suzuki Program since Fall 2022. As she has been teaching Suzuki cello instruction in her private studio since 2013, she is constantly pursuing training in the Suzuki Method. In addition, she started to use her talents as a vocalist and as a cellist in various Latin groups. Since 2018, she founded Renacer Latino Orchestra, LLC, and leads the Latin Jazz group Tropical Mood of St. Louis. She specializes as a singer in Latin jazz, Bossa Nova, Boleros, Cumbias, Bachata, Salsa, Merengue, Cha Cha, Reggaeton, Latin Rock, and more. She is an active member of the Suzuki Association of Americas, and the Musicians’ Association of St. Louis (AFM Local 2-197).

Hector Molina, Piano and Singer:  Héctor was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. His musical heritage stems from his father who was an accomplished cuatrista (he played the Cuatro, a ten-string musical instrument from Puerto Rico). His grandfather was a plenero from the city of Mayagüez. He took formal guitar and accordion classes in the Magdiel L. Espiet Academy of Music. Later Hector dedicated his interest to the piano, with a special emphasis on Latin music. While in Puerto Rico he played with the Magdiel L. Espiet Accordion Orchestra, participated in a local salsa orchestra and organize a small band of Nueva Trova music. Upon entering college he paused his musical activities to dedicate himself to other academic endeavors.  After completing a Doctorate in Medicine and his medical residency in Puerto Rico, he went to Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, and is now an Associate Professor in Medicine, Pathology and Immunology.  In St. Louis Hector resumed his musical studies with different teachers including the locally renown jazz pianist Carol Beth True. He has played with several local Latin bands including Latin Touch, Caribe Tropical, Solución Latina, Nitro Jazz Orchestra, Son Montuno, Renacer Latino, Orquesta Chévere, the Boogaloo Crew and Tropical Mood. He has shared the stage with several renown jazz musicians including trumpet player Dawn Weber, trumpet player Larry Holmes, jazz vocalist Denise Thimes and bass player David Troncoso He participated as an invited recording pianist in the Amanecer Latino tune from the Dawn Weber and Friends Jazz Album. He also organized a salsa/Latin jazz group called SLSon that played for about 10 years in St. Louis.  Héctor is a musical composer with more than 50 compositions, a musical arranger and a poet. He has co-published a book of poems called “Camándulas y Peronías”, and some of his poems have been included in the Hippocrene, a Washington University literary magazine.

Randy Gindler, Drum Set: Randy Gindler is a middle school music teacher and band director. He's also a professional orchestral musician in the St. Louis area and has performed with numerous ensembles including The St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra, The Gateway Festival Orchestra of St. Louis, and The Alton Symphony. Randy also works as a freelance musician in various orchestral and jazz ensembles in the St. Louis area.