José’s music incorporates a wide range of influences from Colombian folk tunes to avant-garde Western art music, while borrowing from Latin music, heavy metal, and progressive rock. His works range from solo pieces with electronics, to orchestral works, passing through chamber ensembles, electroacoustic pieces, and collaborations with dancers. For several years he was a heavy metal drummer, and now is also active as salsa percussionist in the Austin area. He has written for ensembles such as Alarm Will Sound, Spanish ensemble Taller Sonoro, LA based chamber group Wild Up, Grammy award winning quartet Third Coast Percussion, and Colombian percussionist Alejandro Ruiz, among others. José is a recipient of the 2013 Sinquefield Composition Prize, and of three national composition prizes in his home country, Colombia. An alumnus of National University of Colombia as both a percussionist and a composer, he pursued an MM in composition at the University of Missouri, is currently a DMA composition student at UT Austin.