Meet Juan Pablo Contreras

Today we’d like to introduce you to Juan Pablo Contreras.

Juan Pablo, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and started playing the violin at the age of six. My mother is a concert pianist, so I grew up surrounded by classical music and regularly attended the local symphony’s concerts. During my teenage years, I shifted gears and became a heavy metal bass player. One of the bands I played with, called “Life Keeper,” was interested in writing music that blended metal with orchestral music. So, I returned to my roots and immersed myself in the classical world, in order to learn how to write for the orchestra. I found my true calling in this medium and decided to leave the heavy metal scene behind to pursue a career as a classical music composer.

At the age of eighteen, I moved to Los Angeles to attend CalArts for my Undergraduate studies in composition. I met one of my most important mentors, Mexican opera-composer Daniel Catán, during this period. He encouraged me to continue my studies in New York, so I made the move and attended the Manhattan School of Music for my Master’s degree. I wrote my first major orchestral works there and started to gain some international recognition by winning important competitions such as the BMI William Schuman Prize. After spending six years in New York, I moved back to LA in order to earn my Doctoral degree at USC. Currently, I am a Universal Music recording artist and serve as Sound Investment Composer with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Building a life as a composer has definitely been a wild, yet very gratifying adventure! The greatest challenge I face is that I am constantly competing with both composers who are dead (Mozart, Beethoven, and those rock stars), as well as living composers. As a creator, I have to write music that is meaningful, well-crafted, and exciting, so that orchestras around the globe are allured to play it.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I have been fortunate to work with 25 orchestras in the United States, Mexico, Argentina, and Venezuela. My mission as an orchestral composer is to write classical music that is resoundingly Mexican. This trademark in my style has allowed me to ‘musically’ tell stories about my native country, and to address topics of universal interest. My compositions serve as a space where the western world (classical music) can coexist with my Latin American roots (folk music). The orchestral medium is ideal to musically embrace these two diverse cultures and traditions and present them in a single soundscape.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Universal Music Mexico recently released my first orchestral album, titled “Mariachitlán.” The album was recorded by the Jalisco Philharmonic, conducted by Marco Parisotto, and features pianist Abdiel Vázquez as soloist. This September, I will embark on a month-long tour with eight different orchestras, from all over Mexico, that will perform music from this album.

I am also currently working on a new orchestral work for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, that will see its premiere in March 2020.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.juanpablocontreras.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jpcomposer/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jpcomposer/
• Other: https://universalmusicmexico.lnk.to/mariachitlanJPC

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