Born in Lima, Peru, and now based in California, Jimmy López has built an international reputation for music that bridges continents and cultures. His works—performed by major ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and Cleveland Orchestra—are celebrated for their rhythmic drive, lyrical warmth, and kaleidoscopic orchestration. Critics have described his music as “undeniably exciting” (Opera News), praised its “brilliant command of orchestral timbres” (Dallas Morning News), and hailed his “virtuoso mastery of the modern orchestra” (The New Yorker). 

Over the course of a two-season residency with López, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra will perform four of his works. Last season San Diego audiences heard Piano Concerto Ephemerae featuring pianist Javier Perianes in October. In May the orchestra performed his exuberant orchestral showpiece Perú Negro under the baton of Music and Artistic Director Rafael Payare. 

This season brings two works in which the San Diego Symphony has been a co-commissioner: López' trombone concerto Shift, performed by its dedicatee Jörgen van Rijen on October 16 and 17; and his Symphony No. 6, Monarch, which will be paired with Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in the closing concert of the 2026-27 JMC Masterworks series, June 4 through 6. 

		READ THE REVIEWS San Diego Story  San Diego Symphony Celebrates the Piano Concerto of Recently Appointed Composer in Residence Jimmy López by Ken Herman, October 12, 2025  San Francisco Classical Voice The San Diego Symphony Honors Peru’s Afro-Latino Heritage by Paul Bodine, May 18, 2026
Composer in Residence Jimmy López at Jacobs Music Center post-performance of Perú Negro, May 2026. Photo by Todd Rosenberg

Our Conversation

What is your earliest musical memory?

My first musical memory is my mother singing. She wasn’t a singer—she was a kindergarten teacher—but she loved the ballads and music of her time. Sometimes, when I was a child, she would sing very softly. It was a very soothing, calming sound. 

I later learned that my mother had also been singing to me when I was in the womb. So I suppose my musical life started much earlier than I can remember. 

Where do you find inspiration for your music?

Each project is different, so the source of inspiration varies from piece to piece. But every piece is preceded by a period of research. Depending on how large the project is, I might spend a few days to a few weeks reading, watching documentaries or even interviewing people who have experienced the subject firsthand. 

That process is very important to me because it stimulates my creativity. It paves the way for creating a work that better serves whatever purpose it is being written for.

As a composer, how do you make a commissioned project your own? 

As a freelance composer, you face a variety of projects, and you don't always get to choose the subject. I've learned how to make each project my own. If the subject is unfamiliar to me, I make myself familiar with it until I understand it from within—and develop a passion for it. 

Your musical journey has taken you from Peru to Finland and ultimately California. How has California influenced your voice? 

I grew up in Peru and then spent seven years studying in Helsinki and traveling around Europe, absorbing the classical and contemporary traditions there. But after a while, I felt I needed to get away from all those voices and look inward to find my own identity. 

California was attractive to me because it had produced such free-thinking composers. When I arrived at UC Berkeley, the music department was incredibly eclectic. Every composer had a different voice, and we were all welcomed and respectful of each other's traditions.

It took a few years, but I really felt that freedom influenced the way I write. 

What do you hope to accomplish during your residency with San Diego Symphony and Orchestre symphonique de Montréal? 

My view of a composer in residence is someone who develops a relationship with the orchestra and its audience. As a living composer, I want to give audiences a peek into the creative process. 

When an orchestra plays Mozart, there are hundreds of years of tradition behind how the music is performed. With a contemporary composer, we are creating that tradition on the spot with the musicians. That's what we're doing with Rafael, San Diego and Montréal. 

By the end of my residency, San Diego Symphony will have performed four major works of mine. I think very little will need to be said during rehearsal because the musicians will understand the intentions behind the notes I've written. That kind of relationship is a dream for a composer.