New Music USA Online Library

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico in April 1976, JAG (José Antonio Gil) began to pursue a formal music education in 1995 with an honor-enrollment status at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico.  He studied composition with Roberto Milano and piano with Dr. María del Carmen Gil.  Later, he studied for a short period of time at the Oberlin Conservatory where he received the Dean’s Talent Award.  He completed his Bachelor of Music Degree in Composition in 2003 at the Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied composition with Dr. Margaret Brouwer and piano with Ms. Olga Radosavljevich. JAG has participated in master classes and seminars with prominent composers and theorists such as John Adams, Samuel Adler, Bruce Adolphe, Pierre Boulez, John Corigliano, George Crumb, Thea Musgrave, Steven Paulus, Bernard Rands, Christopher Rouse, Ludmila Uhlela, and Richard Wargo. JAG’s music has been performed internationally by several different ensembles and performers with critical acclaim. Some of these performances include the piano piece Wormhole por la Número Dos, performed in 2009 by pianist Dionisio Camacho in the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City: “…[A]n engaging work, combining colors and rhythms of Puerto Rican music with the intriguing ‘wormhole’ idea for its structure.” (Rorianne Schrade, New York Concert Review), and the orchestra piece Symphonic Dance, performed in 2002 by the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra in the San Juan Fine Arts Center and La Perla Theater: “…[A] stupendous piece…Gil elaborates a dialog between two different worlds, the Afro-Antillean and the symphonic.” (Mario Alegre Barrios, Roselín Pabón, El Nuevo Día); “[T]he composer creates an original structure through minimalist resources such as theme fragmentation…the audience was engaged and delighted.” (Luis Enrique Juliá, El Nuevo Día); “The highest merit of [his Symphonic Dance] is that it integrates rhythmic patterns, sound elements, cadences, and timbers of Afro-Caribbean and Puerto Rican music within the most rancid musical forms of the occidental classical traditions…cultural syncretism is manifested with abundance and originality…flavorful Latin percussion, a framework of complex rhythmic and structural richness, risky dissonances, and moments of virtual cacophony result in an effective impression of dynamism and color.” (Victor R. Castro, Escenario). Additionally, his piece for soprano signer and piano La Soleá -an art song- won a vocal-category award in the 2000 Delius Composition Competition in Jacksonville, Florida. In addition to his accomplishments in the realm of arts, JAG holds a Master of Arts in International Relations from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Tex., a Graduate Certificate in Project Management from Georgetown University, and a Graduate Certificate in International Security Policies from the world-renowned Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. While pursuing a successful career in government, JAG is still an active professional composer currently represented by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).