Louis Franz Aguirre (b. 1968, Camagüey): A composer and conductor that has achieved international recognition, Aguirre studied musical composition with Harold Gramatges, Roberto Valera and Tulio Perabo, as well as violin and conducting at the Havana Instituto Superior de Arte. He received a BA in musical composition in 1991. He also underwent postgraduate composition studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in The Netherlands from 2002 to 2004, studying the composition postgraduate program: "Contemporary music through non-Western Techniques" with professor R. Reina, and at the Århus Royal Conservatory in Denmark from 2004 to 2005 with Karl Aage Rasmussen, Rolf Wallin and Hans Abrahamsen. He works as a full-time composer since having moved to Europe in 2002, where he has received numerous commissions. Aguirre has written works for numerous prestigious performers and ensembles such as Ere Lievonen, Enric Monfort, Adam Ørvad, Carlos Gálvez, Juanjo Guillem, Mikkel Andersen, Barbara Lueneburg, Karolina Leedo, Axyz Ensemble, Arbós Trío, Snow Mask Ensemble, Kimbala Percussion Group, DuoMetrie, Verso Duo, Havana Symphony Orchestra, Santiago Symphony Orchestra, Camagüey Symphony Orchestra, the Arditti Quartet, TANA String Quartet, Residencias Ensemble, Neopercusión and Colectivo Neo.
His music has been performed at numerous festivals and venues in Europe, China, the USA and Latin America, such as the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik in Darmstadt, Germany; SUSÅ Contemporary Music Festival, Denmark; Granada Festival Internacional de Música y Danza, Spain; Liubliana Festival, Slovenia; Summartónar, Faroe Islands and Amsterdam Gaudeamus Week, Netherlands. Aguirre’s music has also been broadcast by Spanish, German, Danish, Cuban and Dutch radio and TV stations. His ample catalog includes opera, orchestral and chamber music, solo pieces, as well as choral, and vocal music. (CINTAS Foundation Brandon Fradd Fellowship in Music Composition, 2019-2020)