“outstanding composer… The music of Miguel del Aguila leaves no one indifferent”
Dina Mukhamedzyanova, Music of Russia

“irresistible rhythms… powerfully propelled by frantic tempos pleasantly demented piece… disarmingly genial” 
San Francisco Sentinel

Biography – (short 350 words)

Three-time Grammy nominated American composer Miguel del Aguila was born in Uruguay. In over 135 works that combine drama, driving rhythms and nostalgic nods to his South American roots, he has established himself among the most distinctive and highly regarded composers of his generation. His music, which enjoys over 200 performances yearly, has been hailed as “brilliant and witty” (New York Times), “sonically dazzling” (LATimes) and “expressive and dramatic” (American Record Guide).

He was 2021 composer in residence with Danish Chamber Players/Ensemble Storstrøm, after residences with Orchestra of the Americas, New Mexico Symph, Fresh Ink, CTSummerfest, Talis, and Chautauqua. 2021 commissions include works for Cuarteto Latinoamericano, Eroica Trio and Fivebyfive.

He was honored with 3 Latin Grammy nominations, Kennedy Center Friedheim Award, New Music USA/Music Alive, Magnum Opus Award,  Lancaster Symph. Composer of the Year, and Copland Foundation among others.

His music has international appeal and presence with performances by over 100 orchestras, thousands of ensembles and 56 CD recordings. This list includes Royal Liverpool Phil, Welsh BBC, Norwegian Radio Orch, Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester; Kiev, Odessa, Heidelberg, Mexico, Buffalo Chicago and Louisiana philharmonic orchestras; Chicago,  Toronto, Nashville, Seattle, Albany, San Antonio, Long Beach, Fort Worth, Santa Barbara, Sarasota, Codarts,  Reykjavík, Caracas, Puerto Rico and Sao Paulo symphonies.

Artists who perform his works include Leonard Slatkin, JoAnn Falletta, Giancarlo Guerrero, Marin Alsop, Carlos Miguel Prieto,  Lukas Foss, Gerard Schwarz, Jorge Mester, Guillermo Figueroa, David Allan Miller, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Andrew Litton, Eckart Preu and Jose Arean; LA Chamber Orchestra, SphinxVirtuosi, Windscape, PNME, SOLI, Chicago Phil.Ch.Players, MACE, New Juilliard Ens, Philadelphia Ch.Ens, Collegium Novum Zürich, Kammerensemble Classic, Imani, FifthHouse, Invoke, Pacifica, and Verona quartets.

New/upcoming releases of his works include CDs by Norwegian Radio Orch; Louisiana Phil, Augusta Symph, Cuarteto Latinoamericano and Eroica Trio, on Naxos, Albany, Bridge and Centaur. Festival performances include Aspen, Breckenridge, Cabrillo, Ravinia, Oregon Bach Festival, Minnesota Orch.Sommerfest, Saarburg, Music in the Vineyards, Focus! Bregenz Festspiele, Wiener Festwochen Budapest Spring,  Cervantino, San Miguel de Allende, Prague Spring.

A sought after guest lecturer, he also serves on Barlow Endowment’s Board of Advisors. He’s published by Peermusic, Presser and self-published.

After graduating from San Francisco Conservatory he studied at Vienna’s Universität für Musik un Darstellende Kunst. Early premieres in Musikverein and Konzerthaus were followed by Carnegie Recital Hall and Lukas Foss/Brooklyn Philharmonic concerts. Soon after LATimes praised him as “one of the West Coast’s most promising young composers”.

Biography – (medium 600 words)

Three-time Grammy nominated American composer Miguel del Aguila was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. In more than 130 works that couple drama and driving rhythm with nostalgic nods to his South American roots, he has established himself among the most distinctive and highly regarded composers of his generation. His music, which enjoys over 200 performances yearly, has been hailed as “brilliant and witty “(The New York Times), “sonically dazzling” (LATimes) and “exquisitely imaginative” (Fanfare).

He was 2021 composer in residence with Danish Chamber Players/Ensemble Storstrøm, Denmark; following residences with Orchestra of the Americas, New Mexico Symph, and festivals Fresh Ink, CTSummerfest, Talis, Chautauqua and Saint Maló. Recent commissions include works for John Hopkins Center for the Arts, Cuarteto Latinoamericano, Eroica Trio, Kalliope, and Fivebyfive.

Awatds received include 3 Latin Grammy nominations for CD Salón Buenos Aires, for Clocks; and for Concierto en Tango; Kennedy Center Friedheim Award, New Music USA/Music Alive, Magnum Opus Award,  Lancaster Symph. Composer of the Year, and Copland Foundation

His multicultural background gives his music international appeal and presence with performances by over 100 orchestras, thousands of ensembles, soloists, and 56 CD recordings. This list includes Chicago, Welsh BBC, Royal Liverpool, Norwegian Radio Orch, Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester, Orchestra of the Americas, Orquesta de Asturias; Kiev, Odessa, Heidelberg, México,  Brooklyn; Buffalo, Louisiana, Rhode Island and Sacramento philharmonic orchestras; and Chicago, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Nashville, Seattle, Chicago, Albany, Santa Fe, San Antonio, Long Beach, Virginia, Newark, Augusta, Fort Worth, Memphis, Omaha, Santa Barbara, Sarasota, Spokane, Chautauqua,  Codarts,  Reykjavík, Caracas, Puerto Rico,  Sao Paulo,  Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama symphonies.

Artists who premiered, recorded or performed his works include: Leonard Slatkin, JoAnn Falletta, Giancarlo Guerrero, Marin Alsop, Carlos Miguel Prieto,  Lukas Foss, Gerard Schwarz, Jorge Mester, Guillermo Figueroa, David Allan Miller, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Andrew Litton, Eckart Preu, Ken Masur, José Luis Novo, Jose Arean, and Maximiano Valdés; as well as: LA Chamber Orchestra, Sphinx Virtuosi, Windscape, PNME, SOLI, Chicago Phil. Ch. Players, MACE, New Juilliard Ens, Camerata de las Americas, Philadelphia Ch. Ens, Collegium Novum Zürich, Kammerensemble Classic, Imani, FifthHouse, Pentaèdre, Alcan, Arianna, Invoke, Pacifica, Verona quartets, WindSync, Olmos, Onix, Manuel Barrueco and Richard Stoltzman.

Recent and upcoming CDs include his Giant Guitar/Norwegian Radio Orch;  Broken Rondo/Louisiana Phil; Miami Suite/Nestor Torres; Orchestra Works/Augusta Symph;  Clarinet Piano works/Javier Vinasco; Piano Quintets/Cuarteto Latinoamericano; Barroqueada/Eroica Trio, and CDs by Annex, and Q-Arte on Naxos, Dorian, Telarc, New Albion, Albany, Centaur and Eroica. Recent performances include Eastern Music, Minnesota Orchestra Sommerfest, New Hampshire, Saarburg, Music in the Vineyards, Cervantino, Foro Internacional de Musica Nueva, and Chelsea festivals.

A sought after guest as lecturer, advisor and curator; he serves as Barlow Endowment’s Board of Advisors member, and joined United States Artists Fellowships, Camino de la Fe competition, and Cayambis Music Press judge panels. Master classes/residencies include U.of Michigan, U.of Illinois, Vanderbilt, Lynn, U.of Arkansas, Texas A&M, and Colombia’s Univ. Nacional and EAFIT. His music is published by Peermusic Classical, Th.Presser and self-published.

After graduating from the San Francisco Conservatory he continued studies at Universität für Musik un Darstellende Kunst and Music and Arts University of Vienna. Early works premiered in Musikverein, Konzerthaus and Bösendorfer halls were hailed by the press as “dancing with incendiary rhythms” with “near to obsessive vitality” (Wiener Zeitung). In 1986 his works were introduced in New York at Carnegie Recital Hall and by Lukas Foss/Brooklyn Philharmonic. His first CDs  released 1989 on KKM, Sony-Austria and Albany Records.

Soon after his US return LATimes praised him as “one of the West Coast’s most promising young composers.” and San Antonio Express-News as “One of the more intriguing compositional voices to come along in recent years“. He currently lives in Seattle.

Biography – (long 1.200 words)

Three-time Grammy® nominated American composer Miguel del Aguila was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. In more than 130 works that couple drama and driving rhythm with nostalgic nods to his South American roots, he has established himself among the most distinctive and highly regarded composers of his generation. His music, which enjoys over 200 live performances yearly, has been hailed as “brilliant and witty “(The New York Times), “sonically dazzling” (Los Angeles Times), “with irresistible rhythms..disarmingly genial.” (San Francisco Sentinel), “widely exuberant..exquisitely imaginative..absolutely mesmerizing” (Fanfare), and “expressive and dramatic” (American Record Guide).

He was 2021 composer in residence with Danish Chamber Players/Ensemble Storstrøm, Denmark; following residences with Orchestra of the Americas, Fresh Ink Festival, Connecticut Summerfest, Talis Festival, Alfredo de Saint Maló Festival, New Mexico Symphony and  Chautauqua Festival. Recent commissions include works for John Hopkins Center for the Arts, Cuarteto Latinoamericano, Eroica Trio, Kalliope Reeds, and  Fivebyfive.

His multicultural background gives his works international appeal and presence with worldwide performances by over a hundred orchestras, thousands of ensembles and soloists, and 56 CD recordings. This list includes Welsh BBC Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Winnipeg and Edmonton Symphonies, Kiev Philharmonic, Odessa Philharmonic, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester, Heidelberg Philharmonic, Codarts Symphony Rotterdam. Orquesta del Principado de Asturias,  Reykjavík Chamber Orch, Sinfónica National de Mexico, Filarmónica de la ciudad de México, Sinfónica do Estado de Sao Paulo OSESP, Sinfónica Municipal de Caracas, Orchestra of the Americas, Sinfónica de Puerto Rico and National symphonies of Costa Rica and of Panama. US orchestras include Chicago Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony,  Nashville Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Albany Symphony, as well as Santa Fe, San Antonio, Long Beach, Virginia, Memphis, Omaha, Santa Barbara, Sarasota, Spokane, New Mexico, Chautauqua Symphonies; and Brooklyn; Louisiana, Rhode Island and Sacramento Philharmonic orchestras.

Artists who commissioned, premiered, recorded or performed his works include conductors: Leonard Slatkin, JoAnn Falletta, Giancarlo Guerrero, Marin Alsop, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Gerard Schwarz, Jorge Mester, Guillermo Figueroa, David Allan Miller, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Lukas Foss, Andrew Litton, Eckart Preu, Rodolfo Saglimbeni, Ken Masur, José Luis Novo, Jose Arean, and Maximiano Valdés; as well as ensembles: Cuarteto Latinoamericano, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Windscape, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, SOLI, Chicago Philharmonic Chamber Players, Mannes American Composers Ensemble MACE, New Juilliard Ensemble, Camerata de las Americas, Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble, Collegium Novum Zürich, Kammerensemble Classic der Deutschen Oper Berlin, Imani Winds, Pacifica Quartet, Fifth House Ensemble, Quatour Alcan, Harlem Chamber Players, EntreQuatre, Pentaèdre, Arianna, Invoke, and Verona Quartets, WindSync, Olmos, and Onix a well as guitarrist Manuel Barrueco, clarinetists Richard Stoltzman and Wenzel Fuchs (Berlin Philharmonic) and tenor Rafael Dávila among many others.

Recent and upcoming CD releases include The Giant Guitar by Norwegian Radio Orchestra/Miguel Harth-Bedoya; his Broken Rondo by Louisiana Philharmonic/Carlos Miguel Prieto; Miami Flute Suite by Nestor Torres; an all-del-Aguila orchestra works by Augusta Symphony/Dirk Meyer; his works for clarinet and piano with clarinetist Javier Vinasco, his Piano Quintets by Cuarteto Latinoamericano/Sally Pinkas, his piano trios by Eroica Trio, and CD releases of his music by Annex Quartet, Q-Arte and Acuarimántima.

Recent and upcoming performances include Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Santa Fe, Newark, Augusta, Fort Worth and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, National Symphony Orchestra of Panama, Sphinx Virtuosi, Fivebyfive, Danish Chamber Players/Ensemble Storstrøm, WindSync, Avedis Chamber Music Series, Eastern Music Festival, Minnesota Orchestra Sommerfest, New Hampshire Music Festival, Saarburg Festival, Music in the Vineyards, Festival Internacional Cervantino, Foro Internacional de Musica Nueva, and Chelsea Music Festival.

Other festivals who featured his works include: Aspen Music Festival, Breckenridge, Cabrillo, Ravinia festivals, Oregon Bach Festival, Chautauqua Festival,
Music in the Mountains, Chicago Latino Music Festival, Hear Now Festival, Michigan City Chamber Music Festival, South Bay Chamber Music Society, Summergarden and Focus! In the US and abroad: Alpen Kammermusik, Bregenzer Festspiele, Wiener Festwochen and Vienna Summer Music, Austria, Budapest Spring Festival and Kortárs Zenei Festival Hungary, Festival Antena 2, Lisbon, Festival de Música de San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, Festival de Música de Santa Catarina, Brazil, Festival de Música contemporánea de La Habana, Festival Saint Malo, Festival Música Nova do Santos, Gau Festival, South Africa, Prague Spring, Czech Republic and Zurich New Music Festival.

Del Aguila’s training and early professional experience took place in Uruguay, the U.S. and Europe. After graduating from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music he traveled to Vienna, where he studied at the Universität für Musik un Darstellende Kunst and Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna. Early premieres of his works in Vienna’s Musikverein, Konzerthaus and Bösendorfer halls won him praise from audiences and press who described his music as “dancing with incendiary rhythms,” with “near to obsessive vitality” (Wiener Zeitung). While still living in Vienna, he introduced his piano works in New York’s Carnegie Recital Hall. Days later, Lukas Foss led the U.S. premiere of Hexen with the Brooklyn Philharmonic. CDs containing five of his works were released on KKM-Austria and Albany Records in 1989 and 1990.

Aguila returned to the U.S. in 1992, settling on the West Coast. Soon thereafter he was hailed by Los Angeles Times “one of the West Coast’s most promising and enterprising young composers.” and by San Antonio Express-News as “One of the more intriguing compositional voices to come along in recent years“. He currently lives in Seattle.

He received the prestigious Kennedy Center Friedheim Award in 1995, and was music director of Ojai Camerata 1996 to 1999. In the 1990s his works were first performed at Lincoln Center, London’s Royal Opera House, and in Moscow, Vienna, Zurich, Budapest, Prague, Tokyo, and Rome. From 2001 to 2004 del Aguila was Resident Composer at the Chautauqua Festival, where he performed as pianist and contributed several new works each year.

In 2005 he began a two-year Composer in Residence position with the New Mexico Symphony, made possible by a New Music USA/Music Alive Award. His residency culminated in the fully-staged premiere of his third opera Time and Again Barelas. He was honored with a New Music USA Magnum Opus/Kathryn Gould Award in 2008, resulting in the orchestral tone poem The Fall of Cuzco, which was performed by The Buffalo Philharmonic, and by Nashville, Virginia, Sao Paulo State, and Winnipeg symphony orchestras. He received the Lancaster Symphony Composer of the Year Award 2009, as well as awards from The Copland Foundation and the Argosy Foundation among others.

In 2010 he was honored with two Latin Grammy nominations, for the CD Salón Buenos Aires (five chamber works on Bridge Records) and for the composition Clocks from that album. In 2015 he received a third Grammy nomination for his cello concerto: Concierto en Tango which, within two years after its premiere received 26 orchestra performances worldwide. Other labels that have recorded his works include Naxos, Dorian, Telarc, New Albion, Albany, Centaur and Eroica.

A sought after guest as lecturer, educator, music advisor and curator. He is currently BYU’s Barlow Endowment’s Board of Advisors member, and served as judge for United States Artists Fellowships, Camino de la Fe competition, Cayambis Music Press Editorial Committee. Recent master classes and short residencies include University of Michigan, University of Illinois, Vanderbilt and Lynn Universities, University of Arkansas, Eastern Washington University, Texas A&M University and Universidad Nacional and EAFIT University in Colombia. His music is published by Peermusic Classical, Theodore Presser and self-published.