Yalil Guerra

Yalil Guerra Soto (born April 27, 1973, in Havana, Cuba) is a Cuban-born composer, classical guitarist, record producer, arranger, educator, author, multi-instrumentalist, and conductor based in Los Angeles. He holds Spanish citizenship (since 1999) and U.S. citizenship (since 2007). Guerra is the son of the Cuban vocal duo Rosell y Cary.[1]

Career

Guerra has composed music for symphonic orchestra, string orchestra, concertos, chamber music, vocal music, and solo instruments. For over 15 years, he served as a composer, arranger, and producer for the U.S. TV network Univision, contributing to projects such as the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Latin Grammy Awards (2005–2011), Sábado Gigante, Premio Lo Nuestro, and Mira quién baila. On November 15, 2012, Guerra won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition for his work "Seducción" from his album Live in L.A..[2]

In 2010, Guerra was nominated for a Latin Grammy in the Best Classical Album category for his album "Old Havana."[3]

The album titled "Cuba: The Legacy" was nominated in 2019 for a Latin Grammy in the Best Classical Album category.[4]

Education

Guerra graduated from the National School of Music (Escuela Nacional de Arte, ENA) in Havana, Cuba, with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1991.[5] He continued his studies for two years at the Instituto Superior de Artes (ISA) in Havana.[6] In 1997, he graduated from the Conservatorio Superior de Música in Madrid, Spain.[7] He later obtained a second master's degree in Music (Film Scoring) from Shepherd University in Los Angeles in 2016.[8] He completed his Doctor of Philosophy in Music (Composition and Music Theory) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2021.[9]

Academic work

Yalil Guerra serves as adjunct faculty in Performing and Communication Arts at Pasadena City College.[10] He is also on the music faculty of Los Angeles College of Music, Moorpark College, Antelope Valley College, College of the Canyons, and Ventura College.[11] At College of the Canyons, he teaches piano lab, tonal harmony, and composition courses.[12] Guerra has held past teaching positions at Shepherd University, Cal Poly Pomona, and University of La Verne.[13]

Awards and fellowships

  • 1990 – Second Prize & Special Prize, International Classical Guitar Festival and Contest, Kraków, Poland (aged 16).[14]
  • 2019 – 20th Annual Latin Grammy Awards. Nomination for Best Classical Album, *Cuba: The Legacy*.[15][16]
  • 2018 – 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards. Nomination for Best Classical Contemporary Composition, *String Quartet No. 3, in memoriam Ludvig van Beethoven*.[17][18][19]
  • 2015 – 16th Annual Latin Grammy Awards. Nomination for **Best Classical Contemporary Composition**, *El Retrato de la Paloma*; and **Best Classical Album**, *Yalil Guerra: Works for String Orchestra*.[20][21][22]
  • 2014 – 15th Annual Latin Grammy Awards. Nomination for Best Classical Contemporary Composition, *String Quartet No. 2*.[23][24][25]
  • 2012 – 13th Latin Grammy Award, Winner for Best Classical Contemporary Composition, for “Seducción”.[26][27][28][29][30]
  • 2010 – 11.ª Entrega Anual del Latin Grammy. Nominación a Mejor Álbum Clásico, Old Havana. [31][32][33]
  • Cintas Foundation Fellowship in Composition.[14]
  • Eugene Cota-Robles Fellowship, UCLA (2017).[14]
  • Lalo Schifrin Scholarship.[14]
  • Wise Family Scholarship.[14]

List of compositions

Orchestral works:

  • "Terra Ignota" – A composition for string orchestra (2009).
  • Clave para Cuerdas y Percusión" – A composition for string orchestra (2009).
  • "Old Havana" – A composition for string orchestra (2009).
  • "A la Antigua" – A composition for string orchestra (2008).

Chamber works:

  • String Quartet No. 4, "Noches de España" (2025) premiered in Los Angeles. [34][35]
  • String Quartet No. 3, in memoriam Ludvig van Beethoven (2016) – Latin Grammy-nominated composition (2017). 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards – Classical
  • String Quartet No. 2 (2014) – Latin Grammy-nominated composition (2014). 15th Annual Latin Grammy Awards – Classical
  • String Quartet No. 1, "A Mil Guerra Solo" (2009).
  • De congo y carabalí (2009)
  • "Suite Cubana" (2007). - A composition for piano and string quartet.

Solo works:

  • "Habanera No. 1" - A composition for piano (2022).
  • "Aurelio de la Vega: El Gran Sequoia" - A composition for piano (2021).
  • "Sonata No. 1: Siglo XXI" - A composition for piano (2013).
  • "Toccata" - A composition for piano (2013).
  • "Homenaje a Aurelio de la Vega" - A composition for piano (2012).
  • Tres Piezas Cubanas: 1. Échale Salsita 2. Rosa Frívola 3. Zapateado – A composition for piano (2010).
  • Suite "El Batey" - A composition for piano (2009).
  • Seducción – A composition for piano (2009). Latin Grammy-winning composition (2017). 13th Annual Latin Grammy Awards – Classical

References

  1. ^ Johnson, Reed (2012-11-15). "Latin Grammys: Yalil Guerra wins for contemporary classical work". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
  2. ^ Johnson, Reed (2012-11-15). "Latin Grammys: Yalil Guerra wins for contemporary classical work". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
  3. ^ "Yalil Guerra". Mix Magazine. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Yalil Guerra". 23 April 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Yalil Guerra". Ventura College. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
  6. ^ "Yalil Guerra". Ventura College. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
  7. ^ "Yalil Guerra". Ventura College. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
  8. ^ "Yalil Guerra". Ventura College. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
  9. ^ "Yalil Guerra". Ventura College. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
  10. ^ "Directory - Pasadena City College - Adjunct Faculty Yalil Guerra". Pasadena City College. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
  11. ^ "Dr. Yalil Guerra - LACM Faculty Profile". Los Angeles College of Music. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
  12. ^ "COC professor's classical music lands awards". The Signal (Santa Clarita). 2018-10-12. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
  13. ^ "Dr. Yalil Guerra - LACM Faculty Profile". Los Angeles College of Music. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
  14. ^ a b c d e "About the Artist – Yalil Guerra". YalilGuerra.com. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  15. ^ "Composition Ph.D. Candidate Yalil Guerra Receives 8th Latin Grammy Nomination for 'Cuba: The Legacy'". UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  16. ^ "Yalil Guerra". LatinGrammy.com. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  17. ^ "Yalil Guerra siente 'felicidad en el alma'". La Opinión (in Spanish). 15 November 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  18. ^ "NMSU ensemble nominated for Latin Grammy". Las Cruces Sun-News. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  19. ^ "Artistas cubanos defienden música de su país en Grammy Latinos 2018". CubaPLUS (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  20. ^ "16th Annual Latin Grammy Awards – Nominees". LatinGrammy.com. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  21. ^ "Latin Grammys 2015: See the Full Winners List". Billboard. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  22. ^ "Yalil Guerra biography & honors". Ventura College. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  23. ^ "Yalil Guerra biography & honors". Ventura College. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  24. ^ "Mojave Audio and Royer Labs Assume Vital Role in Production of Latin Grammy Award-Nominated Recording". Mojave Audio. 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  25. ^ "Latin Grammy nomination for Arlene Sierra's Moler". Arlene Sierra (in Spanish). 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  26. ^ "13th Annual Latin Grammy Awards – Winners & Nominees". LatinGrammy.com. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  27. ^ "Latin Grammys: Yalil Guerra wins for contemporary classical work". Los Angeles Times. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  28. ^ "Dr. Yalil Guerra – LACM Faculty". Los Angeles College of Music. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  29. ^ "Yalil Guerra". Ventura College. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  30. ^ "Yalil Guerra gana Latin Grammy en la categoría clásica contemporánea". Cubadebate (in Spanish). 16 November 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  31. ^ "Yalil Guerra nominado por la Latin Recording Academy". YalilGuerra.com. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  32. ^ "Latin Grammy-nominated album Old Havana scored in Sibelius". ScoringNotes.com. 9 September 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  33. ^ "La música de Yalil Guerra: los Latin Grammy Awards y más". Live Design Online. 16 November 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  34. ^ "World Premiere of Yalil Guerra's String Quartet No. 4 "Noches de España" in Los Angeles". PR.com. October 1, 2025. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  35. ^ "Anuncian estreno mundial del Cuarteto de Cuerdas No. 4 "Noches de España" de Yalil Guerra". Diario Las Américas. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.