300 words bio

Jorge Amado (b.1997)

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Amado is a Cuban-born composer, violinist, and violist whose music bridges Afro-Cuban traditions and contemporary classical language. Rooted in rhythm, lyricism, and cultural memory, his work spans chamber, orchestral, and stage music.

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His compositions have been presented at Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Center, Merkin Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and Wiener Konzerthaus, and at Ear Taxi, Virginia Arts Festival, and Annapolis Chamber Music Festival and Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival. He has been commissioned and performed by Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Catalyst Quartet, Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, Cuban American Youth Orchestra, Jon Kimura Parker, and Desirée Ruhstrat.

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In Chicago, he is one of the most distinctive Latin American voices in contemporary music. His works have been featured at the Auditorium Theatre, Harris Theater, and Guarneri Hall by Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Fulcrum Point New Music Project, and ~Nois Quartet, among others.

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He is a recipient of First Prizes at the 8SW, Harold Gramatges, and Nuestra América competitions and the Cubadisco Award for his album Ofrenda. In 2023 he was nominated for a Jeff Award for Measure for Measure at Chicago Shakespeare Theater with Orbert Davis. He was a 2025 Composer Fellow at the Imani Winds Festival at Juilliard, Second Prize winner at Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and in 2026 a winner of the Mycelium New Music Call for Scores and Composition Fellow of the National Orchestral Institute + Festival.

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He is a finalist for the 2026 CINTAS Fellowship in Music Composition and in January 2027 will join OAcademy as a Fellow of the Global Artist Diploma in Composition.

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He holds an M.M. with Distinction from DePaul University and a B.A. Summa Cum Laude from the University of the Arts of Havana. He is a Teaching Artist with the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic and violin faculty at Merit School of Music.

September 2026 - jorgeamadomusic.com