Biography

Juan Antonio Orrego-Salas (b. Santagio, Chile, January 18, 1919; d. Bloomington, Indiana, November 24, 2019) was a Chilean composer of contemporary classical music and musicologist.  He was a student of Randall Thompson and Aaron Copland in the United States, where he later settled in the early 1960s to work at Indiana University, co-founding the Latin American Music Center. He was one of the foremost Chilean composers and one of the most widely known of the musicians from that country around the world.

Orrego-Salas made significant contributions as a composer, musician and scholar. Following his retirement from the IU School of Music in 1987, Orrego-Salas continued to be active in the areas of scholarship and composition.

Further information:

• 2014 newmusicbox interview
• Latin American Music Center page with catalog of works, discography, bibliography, writings….