James Diaz composes ‘works of stark, haunting elegance’
The Ph.D. student studying composition in the Department of Music has already won multiple international and national awards.
James Diaz is a Ph.D. student studying composition in the Department of Music. His music has been described as creations as “works of stark, haunting elegance,” by the Washington Post.
James Diaz, Ph.D. student in the Department of Music. (Image: OMNIA)
Diaz, who has won multiple international and national awards and whose music has been performed by more than a dozen orchestras and ensembles, reflects on a performance of his composition, “Azul.”
“I’d like to share my work, ‘Azul’ for orchestra and electronics. It is part of a long piece called ‘RETRO,’ in which I also performed the synths and electronics,” says Diaz. “The work is a personal reflection on the 200th anniversary of Colombia’s independence. Throughout this 25-minute work, I reflect on the meaning of self-independency and Colombian identity by means of historical retrospection. The piece was commissioned by Medellin Philharmonic as part of my residency in 2019.”
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