Luis McDougal

Luis McDougal (b.1997) is a composer, arranger, guitarist and teacher who currently attends Manhattan School of Music (2023), and having graduated from Berklee College of Music (2019).

One of the hallmarks of his music lies in his exploration of extremes in art and the state of affairs in society. When things are less defined and less fixed in a hierarchical structure, they become emancipated to an extent. As an artist, Luis aims to challenge his audience along with himself to consider the possibility that music along with society doesn’t have to be what we’ve always thought it to be. Life is in a state of perpetual evolution, and the responsibility of an artist is to communicate, engage with and challenge our realities which are perceived through the human experience. Only then can we envision a different, better world. 

Jose Eduardo Muñoz

Jose Eduardo Muñoz (b.1993) is a composer and guitarist born in Mexico and based in New York, who has dedicated his life to exploring the limits and doors of perception. He has a bachelor’s degree in classical composition from La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and a master’s degree in composition from Manhattan School of Music.

His aesthetic pursuit is always aimed at creating conditions for the interaction between artist and audiences through art and “art-objects” in which the clash of vital perspectives happen, with the potential of creating an aesthetic experience. He is convinced that these experiences are capable of unlocking new possibilities of perceiving, knowing, remembering, comprehending, desiring, imagining, creating and contemplating. New possibilities of awareness. New ways of creating meaning. New ways of living.

As a composer, he believes that music composition is a process of discovery. A process that unlocks the endless possibilities of experiencing reality, and the opportunity of sharing, creating and accessing collective experiences through sound. His wide range of expression in contemporary music, electroacoustic music, film scoring, and sound design is a testament to his versatility and creative drive. His music has been performed in cities like Mexico, Vienna, and New York, bringing his unique perspective and passion for music to audiences around the world.

Nacho Ojeda

Nacho Ojeda is a Spanish pianist and aspiring composer who currently studies the Contemporary Performance Program (CPP) in the Manhattan School of Music under a Fulbright Scholarship. He also holds a master’s degree in Piano Performance in the Sibelius Academy (University of Arts Helsinki, Finland), and a Bachelor in Classical Piano in the Royal Superior Conservatory of Music of Madrid (Madrid, Spain).

Defining himself as a contemporary performer, he is deeply engaged with the music of our time, regularly participating in New Music festivals in both Spain and the US, where he collaborates with composers and premieres their pieces, both in solo and ensemble settings. Furthermore, he has extensive experience in theatre, scene in which he is been working for years as a pianist and actor.

Joshua Núñez

Joshua Núñez (b. 1994) is a Mexican-American producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist, born and raised in Marietta, Georgia, USA. He earned a bachelor’s degree in classical composition from Georgia State University (GSU) where he studied under Dr. Nickitas Demos and Dr. Robert Scott Thompson; he studied jazz guitar with Dave Frackenpohl. He also performed on trombone, guitar, and tenor voice at various ensembles at GSU, as well as baritone voice at the Decatur First United Methodist Church. He earned his masters degree in classical composition from the Manhattan School of Music, studying with Susan Botti, Reiko Füting, Chris Hajian, and Lewis Nielson. He did session guitar work for Planet PXL, and for the band, Mostly Strangers. He played guitar and keyboard for the Atlanta-based metal group, Misty Eyed, before moving to New York to pursue his masters.

His compositions are the result of his experiences, as each piece is composed uniquely. His process involves improvisation, sound-blueprints, graphics, and precise measurements. He experiments with playing instruments and recording to discover meaningful sounds, as an expressive action, as the process of composing music becomes the main purpose of composing. He also composes his pieces for the instruments themselves, considering how those instruments evolved, and continue to evolve through composition.

“Notation is the light that burns on the page, much like how we capture the sun’s energy to see photographs that ignite our imaginations; each piece represents a moment of time, through time; hundreds of hours for a few minutes of eternity.”