Gabriela Ortiz facts for kids

Gabriela Ortiz Torres (born 20 December 1964) is a Mexican music teacher and composer. She served as Carnegie Hall’s composer in residence for the 2025 season. Her music has been performed by groups in Berlin, London, Los Angeles, and New York. Her 2024 album "Revolución diamantina", which featured the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel, and María Dueñas, was nominated for four awards at the 2025 Grammys. It won three awards, including best contemporary classical composition.

Biography

Gabriela Ortiz Torres was born in Mexico City. Her parents were folk musicians, so she learned folk music at home. She later studied music in Paris at the Ecole Normale de Musique.

She returned to Mexico City because her mother was ill. There, she studied composition with Mario Lavista at the National Conservatory of Music. She continued her studies at the Guildhall School with Robert Saxton. She also studied with Simon Emmerson at the University of London, where she earned her PhD in 1996.

After finishing her studies, Gabriela Ortiz began teaching. She worked at the National School of Music at the National Autonomous University in Mexico City. She also taught at Indiana University in the United States. The Los Angeles Philharmonic has asked her to create several musical pieces, including the violin concerto Altar de Cuerda (2021-22).

Music Style

Gabriela Ortiz uses traditional music writing methods in her compositions. Her music mixes different styles, including modern sounds, rock, African, and Afro-Cuban influences. She has also created pieces that use experimental electro-acoustic elements. This means she sometimes combines live music with sounds made using electronic equipment.

Awards and Recognitions

Gabriela Ortiz has received many important awards for her music, including:

• Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Classical Composition at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards
• Civitella Ranieri Artistic Residency
• John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship
• Fulbright Fellowship
• Distincion Universidad Nacional
• First prize of the Silvestre Revueltas National Chamber Music Competition
• First Prize at the Alicia Urreta Composition Competition
• Composers Award from the Mexican Council for the Arts and Culture
• National Artists System Fellowship from the Mexican Council for the Arts and Culture
• Banff Center for the Arts Residency
• Inroads Commission, a Program of Arts International with funds from the Ford Foundation
• Rockefeller Foundation
• Mozart Medal Award for Mexican Theatre and Music as the best composer of 1997
• The Fundacion Cultural Bancomer Award

Selected Musical Works

Here are some of the musical pieces Gabriela Ortiz has created:

Dance Music

• Hacia La Deriva (1989)
• Eve and All the Rest (1991)
• Errant maneuvers (1993)

Orchestral Music

These pieces are written for a full orchestra.

• Patios (1989)
• Concierta candela (1993) for solo percussion and orchestra
• Altar de Neón (1995) for percussion quartet and chamber orchestra
• Zocalo-Bastilla (1996) for violin, percussion, and orchestra
• Zocalo Tropical (1998) for flute, percussion, and orchestra
• Altar de Piedra (2002) for percussion and orchestra, commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic
• Altar de Fuego (2010) for orchestra
• Altar de Viento (2015) for flute and orchestra
• Hominum — Concerto for Orchestra (2016)
• Téenek — Invenciones de Territorio (2017) for orchestra, commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic
• Yanga (2019) for percussion quartet, chorus, and orchestra, commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic
• Clara (2021) for orchestra, commissioned by the New York Philharmonic
• Altar de Cuerda (2021) violin concerto, commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic
• Kauyumari (2021) for orchestra, commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic

Opera

• Unicamente La Verdad (2010), with words written by Ruben Ortiz

Electro-acoustic Music

These pieces combine traditional instruments with electronic sounds.

• Magna Sin (1992) for steel drum and tape
• 5 Micro Etudes (1992) for tape
• Things Like That Happened (1994) for cello and tape
• El Trompo (1994) for vibraphone and tape
• Altar de Muertos (1996) for string quartet and tape

Other Works

• 100 Watts (1998) for clarinet, bassoon, piano
• Baalkah (1999) for soprano and string quartet
• Seis piezas a Violeta (2002) for string quartet and piano
• Corporea (2014) for mixed chamber ensemble, commissioned by San Francisco Contemporary Music Players

Albums

Here are some of the albums featuring Gabriela Ortiz's music:

• Musica Sinfonica Mexicana (1997)
• Ritmicas (1997)
• Mi Chelada (2000)
• Visiones Panamericanas (2002)
• Tear (2003)
• Altar de Muertos (2005)
• Aroma Foliando (2013)
• Denibée (2014)
• Revolución diamantina (2024) featuring the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel, and Maria Duenas

See also

In Spanish: Gabriela Ortiz para niños