(Photo by: Herminio Rodríguez)

Interdisciplinary Workshop in Composition and Musical Creativity


BY COMPOSER, PIANIST, AND MUSICAL RESEARCHER ARUÁN ORTIZ

Aruán Ortiz, named “one of the most creative and original composers in the world” (Lynn René Bayley, The Art Music Lounge), is a Cuban composer, pianist, and violist, is a leading figure in New York and international creative music. Trained at the Instituto Superior de Arte (Cuba), Berklee College of Music (USA), and holding a master’s degree in 20th century contemporary composition from the Vermont College of Fine Arts (USA), he has been recognized as Artist of the Year by Jazz Portugal (2023) and with distinctions such as the Guggenheim Fellowship (2024) and the Goddard Lieberson Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2025). Throughout his career, he has released more than 15 albums as a leader, mostly on the Swiss label Intakt Records, and has appeared on more than 30 recordings and tours with iconic jazz figures such as Wallace Roney, Terri Lyne Carrington, Esperanza Spalding, Andrew Cyrille, Joe Lovano, Wadada Leo Smith, and Jeff Ballard. Rooted in Afro-Caribbean traditions, his work redefines 21st-century diasporic music and positions him as an original, versatile, and deeply innovative voice whose practice spans jazz, orchestral music, dance, chamber music, and film (full bio here)

 

Aruán Ortiz Live at Roulette Intermedium, September, 2025

Why participate?


Are you a student, professional jazz, classical, rock, and Latin musician, or composer interested in expanding your creative horizons?

This workshop offers a transformative, interactive experience rooted in the foundations of creativity, while allowing you to expand your theoretical and practical knowledge for use in multiple musical contexts, from jazz and Latin jazz to world music and pop. In addition, upon completion, you will receive a certificate confirming your participation and giving you solid tools to incorporate these resources into your own artistic and pedagogical practice at every level.

Throughout the process, you will explore how to apply these methodologies and techniques across different musical styles, developing a more flexible, conscious, and eclectic personal voice in performance, composition, and improvisation.

METHODOLOGY:
Centered on various methodological and technical approaches developed by innovative American figures such as the legendary pedagogues Charlie Banacos (teacher of Mike Stern, Michael Brecker, Danilo Pérez, among others), Joseph Schillinger (whose methods influenced Glenn Miller, Earth, Wind & Fire, Benny Golson), Muhal Richard Abrams (Vijay Iyer, Jason Moran, Henry Threadgill, George Lewis), Barry Harris (known for his approach to jazz harmony from bebop to the present), Max Reger (intertonal modulation), Pierre Boulez (symmetry and serialism), and Nathan Davis (pioneer in jazz studies, and professor at the University of Pittsburgh), among others, this workshop will be an opportunity to revisit your repertoire, and explore new ways of building music from a unique and personal perspective.

Contents

  • Improvising, composing, or performing? Similarities and differences

  • Analysis of creative tools for a unique musical narrative. The importance of voice-leading.

  • From the known to the unknown: Variations on thematic material using overtone and undertone series.

  • Mirror harmony vs. retrograde harmony.

  • Intuition, spontaneity, and anticipation in improvisation. Collective listening vs. self-listening. Beyond your favorite style.

  • Rhythms and rhythmic juxtaposition in angular structures (upbeat vs. downbeat). 

  • How to navigate and generate idiomatic rhythmic landscapes (Afro-diasporic structures in contemporary music).

  • Deconstruction of a musical structure to build your creative process from a chosen repertoire.

  • Tools and resources for individual and collaborative performance in contemporary classical music and avant-garde jazz contexts.

  • The art of playing vs. the art of daily practice. Tools for composing through improvisation.

  • Collective demonstration exercises.

 
 
 

What students say:
“[Aruán Ortiz’s classes] taught me to be aware of the multiplicity of sources of inspiration and to develop my compositional instinct in other ways.” — Camille, GE-HEM (Geneva)


“I especially liked the variety of exercises you proposed, and I also admire your ability to engage everyone during the session.” — Nils, GE-HEM (Neuchâtel)


“Great workshop! A very professional, interactive, and approachable presentation of stimulating contemporary ideas.” — Andrew, MUK (Vienna)


“I found your pedagogical approach to be very logical… and applicable not only to performance but also to composition.” — Keisha, University of York (Toronto)

 

Photo by Michal Novak