EarShot: Houston Symphony
March 29-30, 2022
Yue Bao, Conductor
Mentor Composers: Derek Bermel, Jimmy López Bellido, Gabriela Ortiz
Participants: José Martínez, Marina López, Marco-Adrián Ramos, Diana M. Rodriguez
About the Composers

José Martínez’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 collaborations with dancers and video. Read More
José is a recipient of the 2013 Sinquefield Composition Prize, 2019 Rain Water Grant for Innovation, and of three national composition prizes from Colombia. He is also artistic director of the concert series Stack Overflow that creates opportunities for composers interested in electronics. An alumnus of the National University of Colombia as both a percussionist and a composer, he pursued an MM in composition at the University of Missouri, and currently is a DMA candidate in composition with emphasis in the use of electronics at UT Austin. In 2020 José accepted a Visiting Professor position at ECU in Greenville, NC.

Marina Lopez is a Pittsburgh-based composer, and educator. Born and raised in Mexico City, she has a deep interest in exploring the psychological, ethnomusicological, and physical roots of her heritage. Read More
She began her musical studies at the age of 17, studying Piano Performance at Mexico’s National Autonomous University under Silvia Alonso Abreu. After relocating to the United States in 2011, she continued her studies at Duquesne University under Kenneth Burky and jazz piano under Ron Bickel. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spring of 2015. She started pursuing musical composition in Fall of 2012, under the guidance of the late Dr. David Stock. In 2014 her piece Sunstroke was selected by Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra as part of their 10th Annual Student Composers Reading Session. Her music has been performed by the Transient Canvas, Carnegie Mellon University Contemporary Ensemble, the Carnegie Mellon University Philharmonic, Kamratōn ensemble, Boston’s White Snake Project, The Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, amongst others. In the Spring of 2018 she completed her Master’s level studies in Musical Composition at Carnegie Mellon University, under Leonardo Balada. Through fall of 2019, she worked with Alia Musica Pittsburgh, a non-for-profit which helps nurture the New Music scene in Pittsburgh. From fall of 2020 through Spring of 2021 she developed and led an after-school program with a local nonprofit Casa San Jose that will provide an opportunity for Pittsburgh Area Latin American children to explore their musical and cultural heritage. She is currently working with Volta Music Foundation, which seeks to make music education accessible to students in need in Latin America and creating music programs that help underserved communities in the U.S.
She is currently engaged in projects with Boston’s White Snake Project opera company and Victory Players ensemble.

Marco-Adrián Ramos (1995) is a Mexican-American composer and arranger who has written for a variety of media including works for voice, instrumental and electroacoustic ensembles, and dance. Composers with whom he has had the pleasure of working include Christopher Lacy, Robert Beaser, Christopher Rouse, Martin Bresnick, Mari Kimura, Christopher Theofanidis, Stephen Hartke, Aaron Jay Kernis, and Arturo Márquez. Read More

DM R (Diana M. Rodriguez) was born and raised in Bogotá, has lived in Miami and Boston, and is currently based in NYC. She is a composer of electroacoustic music, a concert series curator (C3 and CanvaSound), and a 90s anime aficionado. Having its footholds in pop culture, Colombian folk, and Rock en Español, her work has been presented by artists like ICE, Yarn Wire, ECCE Ensemble, Ludovico Ensemble, and more. Read More
Currently a doctoral candidate at Columbia University, DM R holds a master’s degree from the Boston Conservatory and a bachelor’s degree from the New World School of the Arts at the University of Florida. Her ongoing projects include collaborations with TAK ensemble, Oasi Trio, and Alejandro Guardia.