Gonzalo Varela

I am a composer, sound designer and audio programmer born in 1990 in Montevideo, Uruguay. Characterized by a strong interest in learning very different kinds of music, which allows me more resources to experiment with according to my sensibility and the expressive needs of each moment, my passion for artistic collaboration has led me to work in films, television programs, theatre plays and video games for Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft consoles, as well as Windows, iOS and Android devices. I have received awards from Uruguay's Ministry of Education and Culture, Fulbright, the Uruguayan Choral Association and Columbia College Chicago among others, and compositions of mine have been played in concerts, festivals and workshops in eleven countries. Publications of my work include ten music albums, three books, one video DVD, three software applications and seven studies, and as a performer I have given over 300 concerts in four countries.

I hold a Master of Fine Arts degree, profile: Music Composition for the Screen, from Columbia College Chicago (of the United States), where my main professor was Kubilay Uner. I also hold a Bachelor of Music degree, profile: Composition, from the Universidad de la República (University of the Republic) (of Uruguay), where my main professor was Osvaldo Budón. At this university I am also finishing a major in Guitar, my main professor being Ramiro Agriel. In addition, I have studied composition with Coriún Aharonián, Joel Goodman, Ronit Kirchman and Chance Thomas, as well as music genres like Flamenco, Tango, Jazz, Candombe and Javanese Gamelan with various teachers.

I have worked for composers such as Roque Baños, Tom Howe, Joel Corelitz, Ilya Levinson and Sebastian Huydts. Furthermore, I have held teaching positions at three universities in the United States and Uruguay: Columbia College Chicago, Universidad de la República and Universidad Católica del Uruguay.