Bio

José’s music incorporates a wide range of influences, from Colombian folk tunes to contemporary composition techniques, while borrowing from Latin music, heavy metal, and audio sampling techniques. His works range from solo pieces with electronics to orchestral works, passing through chamber ensembles, electroacoustic pieces, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Among others, his music has been performed by groups such as the Grammy Award-winning ensembles Alarm Will Sound and Third Coast Percussion, as well as the California-based ensemble Wild Up. An alumnus of percussion and composition at the National University of Colombia, he studied composition at the University of Missouri and UT Austin. José was a visiting professor at East Carolina University and the New College of Florida. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor of Music at Colby College in Maine, United States.

His music has also been presented by the Spanish ensemble Taller Sonoro, the Los Angeles-based piano duo Hocket Duo, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s from New York City, Grupo de Cámara de Bogotá, and the Austin-based percussion ensemble Line Upon Line, among others. Additional collaborators include Sarasota Contemporary Dance, Teatro del Valle (Colombia), and visual artist Yulia Lanina. He has participated in institutes and festivals such as the Banff Ensemble Evolution program, DeGaetano, Splice, SEAMUS, the Missouri International Composer Festival, the Line Upon Line Winter Composer Festival, ClarinetFest, Visiones Sonoras in Mexico, and VIPA in Valencia, Spain. In 2026, he was invited to give concerts and artist talks at the music conservatories of Pescara and Venice in Italy.

José is a recipient of the 2008 National Composition Prize for Young Composers, the 2011 “Ciudad de Bogotá” Composition Award, and the 2013 National Cultural Prize. In the US, he received the 2013 Sinquefield Composition Prize, the 2019 Rain Water Grant for Innovation, and a New Music USA grant in 2023 for his piece Voces Olvidadas for choir and chamber ensemble. In 2026, José released the album Short Stories under the American label New Focus Recordings, as well as the album /home/usuarios/shared/intuición in collaboration with the group TuKuPrá under the Colombian label Bogotana Records.