Interview with Composer Gabriela Ortiz in I Care If You Listen

“Music has the power to enrich the spirit of human beings. I believe music has the power to change lives and to change the soul of other people.”

—Gabriela Ortiz

Internationally acclaimed Latin GRAMMY-nominated Mexican composer, pianist, and educator Gabriela Ortiz was recently interviewed by I Care If You Listen. in advance of Curtis New Music Ensemble’s sold-out concert on October 12, “Portrait of Gabriela Ortiz.” One of Mexico’s most prominent composers, the in-demand artist has had recent commissions from the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic to the BBC Scottish Symphony and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Ms. Ortiz’s music incorporates seemingly disparate musical worlds, from traditional and popular idioms to avant-garde techniques and multimedia works. A member of the prestigious Academy of the Arts, she currently teaches composition at Mexico’s National Autonomous University and travels regularly to give courses and masterclasses at institutions throughout the Americas and Europe.

In the article, the highly sought-after, prolific composer—whose catalog includes solo, chamber, orchestral, electro-acoustic, and operatic works—discusses her early days growing up in a musical family in Mexico with parents who played in the Latin American folk music ensemble Los Folkloristas. Inspired by artists as disparate as the Beatles and Béla Bartók, she reminisces on how these formative moments and her early musical studies led her to compose short piano pieces and work infused with the spirit and sounds of her Mexican heritage. Ms. Ortiz also talks about her eco-conscious piano concerto Fractalis and the recent world premiere of her cello concerto Dzonot, a musical exploration of the cenotes—a system of caves and rivers in the Yucatán Peninsula that served as a spiritual center for the Mayan people—that highlights the wonders of the region but also serves as a call-to-action to preserve their fragile ecosystems. 

Watch a performance of Fractalis by pianist Ana Gabriela Fernández and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa.

Throughout Carnegie Hall’s 2024–25 season, Ms. Ortiz will serve as the prestigious Debs Composer’s Chair, with seven concerts presented throughout the year, along with premieres with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and other distinguished ensembles, further expanding awareness of her name, work, and artistry. Part of her upcoming season includes a year-long composer residency here at Curtis during its centennial season, kicking off with the October concert here on campus at Gould Rehearsal Hall, featuring eight of her chamber works, including the world premiere of Cedrus, for solo marimba. As part of Curtis’ composer-in-residence program, she will be working closely with students as they continue to develop their own unique compositional voices and evolve as artists, just as Ms. Ortiz continues to refine her innovative style and push the boundaries of contemporary classical music.  

Read the interview HERE, and visit Ms. Ortiz’s official website.

Photos of Gabriela Ortiz by Mara Arteaga.