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

Three-time GRAMMY^« nominated contemporary American composer Miguel del Águila creates distinctive, innovative modern classical music highly influenced by his Latin American roots. A prominent voice in 20th and 21st-century music, he remains a vital influence in contemporary classical music, with compositions that infuse musical diversity into the modern chamber and orchestral music repertoire. His creative, rhythm-driven works blend tradition and modernity, with dramatic and nostalgic nods to his South American Hispanic heritage. His music enjoys 200+ live performances yearly.

Miguel del Aguila was born in Uruguay. In more than 135 works that combine drama, driving rhythms and more than a few nods to his South American roots, he has established himself among the most distinctive and highly regarded composers of his generation. His music has been hailed as “brilliant and witty” (New York Times), “sonically dazzling” (Los Angeles Times), 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 Philharmonic, Fresh Ink, CT Summerfest, Talis and Chautauqua. 2021 commissions include works for Cuarteto Latinoamericano, Eroica Trio, and Fivebyfive.

He has been honored with three Latin Grammy nominations, a Kennedy Center Friedheim Award, New Music USA/Music Alive Award, a Magnum Opus Award, Lancaster Symphony Composer of the Year Award, and special recognition from the Copland Foundation, among others.

His music has international appeal and it has been performed by more than 100 orchestras, thousands of ensembles. This list includes Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Welsh BBC, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester, Kiev, Odessa, Heidelberg, Mexico, Buffalo, Chicago and Louisiana Philharmonic, as well as Toronto, Nashville, Seattle, Albany, San Antonio, Long Beach, Fort Worth, Santa Barbara, Sarasota, Codarts, Reykjavik, Caracas, Puerto Rico, and San Paulo Symphonies.

Artists who perform his works include Leonard Slatkin, JoAnn Falletta, Giancarlo Guerrero, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Lukas Foss, Gerald Schwarz, Jorge Mester, Guillermo Figueroa, David Allen Miller, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Andrew Litton, Eckart Preu and Jose Arean; Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Sphinx Virtuois, Windscape, PNME, SOLI, Chicago Symphony Chamber Players, MACE, New Juilliard Ensemble, Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble, Collegium Novum Zürich, Kammerensemble Classic, Imani Winds, FifthHouse, Invoke, Pacifica, and Verona Quartets.

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

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, the Los Angeles Times praised him as “one of the West Coast’s most promising young composers.”