Nilo Velarde

Born in the coastal village of Chimbote, Peruvian composer Nilo Velarde (1964-) came to Lima in 1982 to study architecture. However, he soon left the university to instead enter the National Conservatory of Peru, where he studied with Walter Casas, Enrique Iturriaga, Seiji Asato and José Sosaya. Two years after receiving his degree, in 1997 he was named as a professor of composition in the Peruvian conservatory. Since 2015 he has been serving as academic director of that same institution.

Velarde’s music has not only been performed and recorded by renowned soloists, choirs and instrumental ensembles, but also a number of his compositions have received national and international recognition. In 2005, for example, Velarde represented his country in the “First Encounter of Young Composers of Latin America and Spain,” held in Bogotá, Colombia, where his 1996 work, “Landando,” was performed. In 2007, his two-movement work, “Espacios,” for symphony orchestra, won the first prize in a Cuban composition competition organized by the Casa de las Américas.

Nilo’s Compositions