Colombian composer James Diaz, currently based in Philadelphia, composes music that strives to create unique sonic textures and environments. His music extends beyond exclusively concert music including projects that explore the potential of electroacoustic and mixed media settings. Deeply influenced by psychedelic-rock bands his music also draws from elements of the classical canon, medieval and renaissance music, post-modernist architecture, Latin-America landscapes, and photography.
James is serving as the 2019 composer-in-residence for the Medellin Philharmonic. Recently, his orchestral piece “Frank[in]g” has been awarded the 2018 Bogotá Philharmonic Prize in Composition.
James is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in composition at the University of Pennsylvania as a Benjamin Franklin fellow, where he studies with James Primosch and Anna Weesner. James holds an M.M. in Composition from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Reiko Fueting. James studied composition with Moisés Bertrán, Harold Vázquez, and Gustavo Parra at the National Conservatory of Music, receiving his B.M in Composition, Honor Grade, in 2015.
He has been sponsored by the Banco de la República de Colombia and was a recipient of the Young Artist Talents Scholarship by ICETEX.