Luis Miguel Delgado Grande is a Colombian composer and Ph.D. student in Composition and Music Theory of University of Pittsburgh. His work as a composer is based on the development of musical discourse, from the structures with musical potential such as literature, physical phenomena, and public space intervention. He has received significant recognitions such as commissions by Siemens Stiftung, 3rd prize in the composition competition with The Megalopolis Saxophone Orchestra 2019, Scholarships by the Government of Colombia, Ticino Musica Festival, and New Music on the Point Festival. He has been Artist in residence with the Cepromusic ensemble (México), National Center of Contemporary Arts (Russian Federation), and Copiuensemble (Chile – Ibermúsicas). His scores are published by Babel Scores.
Website: https://www.delgadogrande.com/
Marina Lopez is a Pittsburgh-based composer, educator, and budding writer. She has a deep interest in challenging borders between musical genres and between art forms in order to create immersive experiences that challenge the listeners' preconceptions.
She started pursuing musical composition in the Fall of 2012, under the guidance of the late Dr. David Stock. In the Spring of 2018, she completed her Master's level studies in Musical Composition under Leonardo Balada, at Carnegie Mellon University.
Her music has been performed by the Transient Canvas, the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, the Carnegie Mellon University Contemporary Ensemble, Counter)inductions ensemble, the Carnegie Mellon University Philharmonic, Kamratōn ensemble, and Boston's White Snake Project, amongst others. She has participated in reading sessions with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under maestro Leonard Slatkin, as well as with the Houston Symphony Orchestra under maestra Yue Bao.
Her first opera 'Not Our First American' premiered at Pittsburgh Opera on April 13th, 2019, as part of Co-Opera; a year-long collaboration between Pittsburgh Opera and Carnegie Mellon’s Music and Drama departments. Her second opera 'Rosa' premiered December 2022 by Boston-based opera company Whitesnake Projects.
From the fall of 2020 through the Spring of 2021 she developed and led a music education after-school program with local nonprofit Casa San Jose. She is currently developing similar curriculums for Volta Music Foundation, which seeks to make music education accessible to students in need in Latin America and create music programs that help underserved communities in the U.S.
Composer Victor Valle aims to connect the stories of others to help them feel less alone. He has constantly put his heart into his music since he started playing piano and saxophone from the age of six. After receiving a Bachelor of Music in Music Composition and minor in musical theater from the University of Texas at Arlington, Valle is now pursuing a Masters Degree in Music Composition at Carnegie Mellon University and studying under Nancy Galbraith. He is currently writing multiple chamber works as well as a musical theater song cycle entitled “Coming Out.” Valle has been composing music for solo instruments and ensembles across the country since high school. His music has been performed at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention, UTA and CMU stages, and bars across Texas. Most recently, his orchestra work entitled “and the fool leaped” was premiered in Carnegie Music Hall by the CMU Philharmonic. He was awarded the Lloyd Carr Taliaferro Award for his solo piano piece “Isolated Joy."
Alongside his passion for composing, he has accompanied musicals in various community and high school theaters across North Texas, such as Pocket Sandwich Theatre, North Texas Performing Arts, and Nolan Catholic High School. In 2020, Victor had produced and performed in a cabaret fundraiser to raise money for the Marsha P. Johnson Institute for black trans people. Though Victor prefers to be behind the piano for musicals, he's also been seen on the stage in shows such as Legally Blonde and Mamma Mia!. Aside from theater and music, Victor loves to spend his free time hiking, spending time with family, and exploring new coffee shops to support his caffeine addiction.