orlando jacinto garcía (b. 1954)

Orlando Jacinto Garcia

Through more than 200 works spanning orchestral, choral, chamber, solo, electroacoustic, site-specific, and multimedia forms — including collaborations with film, video, and dance — post-minimalist composer Orlando Jacinto Garcia has established himself as a major voice in contemporary classical music and new music. Often described as “time-suspended sonic explorations,” his music reflects the direct influence of his studies with Morton Feldman and places him among the most distinctive composers working in the post-Feldman tradition today. His work is distinguished by its evocative use of color, space, and atmosphere, and by its combination of expansive textures, political themes, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Born in Havana, Cuba in 1954, Garcia emigrated to the United States in 1961. A Cuban-American composer whose output spans acoustic and electroacoustic idioms, he has received numerous awards, fellowships, and residencies from organizations including the Rockefeller, Fulbright, Knight, Civitella Ranieri, Bogliasco, and Cintas Foundations; the American Academy of Arts and Letters; the State of Florida; and the MacDowell and Millay colonies. His works have earned prizes from the Ariel, Noise International, Matiz Rangel, Nuevas Resonancias, Salvatore Martirano, and Bloch International Competitions. Most recently, he received five Latin Grammy nominations for Best Contemporary Classical Composition (2009–2011, 2015, and 2021).

Garcia’s compositions have been performed internationally by leading ensembles and soloists at major new music festivals and venues worldwide, and recordings of his music are available on labels including New Albion, O.O. Discs, CRI/New World, Albany, North/South, CRS, Rugginenti, VDM, Capstone, Innova, CNMAS, Opus One, Telos, Toccata Classics, Metier/Divine Art, Soundologia, Urtext, and New Focus.

Garcia is the founder and director of the NODUS Ensemble, the Miami Chapter of the International Society for Contemporary Music, and the New Music Miami ISCM Festival. He also serves as Resident Composer for the Miami Symphony Orchestra. An honorary member of the Colegio de Compositores Latinoamericanos, Garcia is a dedicated educator and currently serves as Distinguished University Professor and Composer in Residence at the School of Music of Florida International University.

For a list of selected soloists, ensembles, orchestras that have perforemd his work visit Garcia’s CV.