Biography

Amparo’s musical journey began with the captivating call of the French horn, an instrument she embraced with unstoppable dedication. Amongst her numerous performances and recordings, Amparo is the horn player in the Grammy-nominated album Providencia (2010) by Danilo Pérez.

Beyond her passion for the horn, Amparo has blossomed as a contemporary concert and media composer, weaving threads of melody, harmony, and emotion into a flow of musical stories. Her compositions are a fusion of diverse influences, building a distinctive voice that reflects on both familiar and unexplored elements.

Amparo has won composition competitions including the International Women Brass Conference Prize (Foundations, IWBC, 2019), Women and Culture Award (Génesis, Diputación de Málaga, 2013), and Salvador Seguí International Composition Competition (Juego de niños, SIMC Montserrat, 2007). Her song Un café per a emportar earned a nomination to the Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA, 2015). She has been commissioned to write music for renowned artists and ensembles including Spanish Brass (Barandat, 2022 and Sambori, 2017), Metal·lògic Ensemble (Brass Therapy, 2015), and Orfeó Universitari de València (Lux aeterna, 2022), and for various competitions, festivals, and organizations, including the Iturbi International Piano Festival (Anchor’s Flight, 2019), the Valencian Federation of Music Societies (Snapan, 2018), the Spanish Tuba and Euphonium Association (Foundations, AETyB, 2016), the Valencia State Wind Ensemble Competition (Flor de Mayo, 2016), and the Spanish Cerebral Palsy Association (Niño Duende, 2006).

In her numerous collaborations as an orchestrator and arranger for albums, media projects, and symphonic productions, Amparo brings together melodies, rhythms, and harmonies from contemporary classical and contemporary popular styles. Amongst many projects, Amparo is the arranger in the album and tour Vagamundo (2014-2018) by renowned Spanish singer-songwriter Santiago Auserón, and the orchestrator of feature films like Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2019), Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles (2018), Hunter’s Prayer (2017), Kidnap (2017), or Misconduct (2016). She has directed professional ensembles, including Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León in the show Back to the Future (2016), with orchestra and live electronic set.

Amparo holds master’s degrees in Business Administration (MBA), and in Education, Technology, and Innovation (MEd), and bachelor’s degrees in Film Scoring (BM), French Horn Performance (BM and PDM), and Composition. In 2009 she was awarded a full-ride scholarship to pursue her degree at Berklee College of Music by the Spanish Association of Composers and Publishers (SGAE). Her recent research focuses on gamification techniques in early instrumental music practice. She has been a jury member for numerous competitions and a composer panelist at several music conferences. Amparo currently chairs the Contemporary Writing and Production Department at Berklee College of Music.

En español

La carrera de Amparo comenzó con la trompa, instrumento que abrazó con inquebrantable dedicación. Entre sus numerosas actuaciones y grabaciones, Amparo es la trompista del álbum nominado al Grammy Providencia (2010) de Danilo Pérez.

Más allá de su pasión por la trompa, Amparo ha florecido como compositora contemporánea de conciertos y medios audiovisuales, mezclando melodía, armonía y emoción en un tejido de historias musicales. Sus composiciones son una fusión de sus diversas influencias, construyendo una voz única que refleja elementos tanto familiares como inexplorados.

Amparo ha ganado concursos de composición como el International Women Brass Conference Prize (Foundations, IWBC, 2019), Premio Mujer y Cultura (Génesis, Diputación de Málaga, 2013), y el Concurso Internacional de Composición Salvador Seguí (Juego de niños, SIMC Montserrat, 2007). Su canción Un café per a emportar obtuvo una nominación a los Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA, 2015). Ha recibido encargos de composición para artistas y agrupaciones reconocidas como Spanish Brass (Barandat, 2022, Sambori, 2017), el Metal·lògic Ensemble (Brass Therapy, 2015), y el Orfeó Universitari de València (Lux aeterna, 2022), y para varios concursos, festivales y organizaciones, incluyendo el Festival Internacional de Piano Iturbi (Anchor’s Flight, 2019), la Federación de Sociedades Musicales de la Comunidad Valenciana (Snapan, 2018), la Asociación Española de Tubas y Bombardinos (Foundations, AETyB, 2016), el Certamen de Bandas de Música de la Comunidad Valenciana (Flor de Mayo, 2016), y la Asociación de la Parálisis Cerebral (Niño Duende, 2006).

En sus numerosas colaboraciones como orquestadora y arreglista de álbumes, proyectos multimedia y producciones sinfónicas, Amparo marida melodías, ritmos y armonías de estilos clásicos y populares contemporáneos. Entre muchos proyectos, Amparo es arreglista del disco y gira Vagamundo (2014-2018) del reconocido cantautor español Santiago Auserón, y orquestadora de largometrajes como Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2019), Buñuel en el Laberinto de las Tortugas (2018), Hunter’s Prayer (2017), Kidnap (2017), o  Misconduct (2016). Ha dirigido agrupaciones profesionales, incluyendo la Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León en el espectáculo Back to the Future (2016) con orquesta y live set electrónico.

Amparo tiene másteres en Administración y Dirección de Empresas y en Educación, Tecnología e Innovación, un grado en Composición para Medios Audiovisuales, y los Títulos Superior y Profesional de Música. En 2009 ganó una beca completa de la SGAE para cursar sus estudios en Berklee College of Music. Ha sido miembro del jurado en numerosos concursos y ha participado en paneles como compositora invitada en varias conferencias musicales. Amparo actualmente dirige el departamento de Composición y Producción Contemporánea en la universidad Berklee College of Music en Boston.

Professional highlights

Premi Carles Santos de la Música
Amparo is the composer of Maruna in the album Se hace saber by Maria Rubio Navarro, winner of the 2023 Premi Carles Santos de la Música in the category of Contemporary and Experimental Music.
Chair, Contemporary Writing and Production

Amparo accepts the position of Chair, Contemporary Writing and Production (CWP) at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

International Women Brass Conference Prize

Foundations, for tuba and piano, is awarded the 2019 International Women Brass Conference Prize in Tempe, Arizona.

Vagamundo album release

Amparo arranges the album Vagamundo, by renowned Spanish singer Santiago Auserón.

Assistant Chair, Contemporary Writing and Production

Amparo accepts the position of Assistant Chair, Contemporary Writing and Production (CWP) at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

Back to the Future

Amparo conducts the educational concerts Back to the Future, for orchestra and live electronic set, with Pepe Lanuza (solo flute/EWI), David Manso (live electronic set) and Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León (OSCyL) in Valladolid, Spain.

International Horn Symposium

Amparo performs at the International Horn Symposium in Los Angeles, presenting her project Spanish Horn, for horn and strings.

International Horn Society

Colburn School of Music. Los Angeles, CA

(August 2015)

Hollywood Music in Media Awards nomination

Amparo’s song Un café per a emportar is nominated for a 2015 Hollywood Music in Media Award in Los Angeles, CA.

Vagamundo premier

Amparo arranges the project Vagamundo, for renowned Spanish singer Santiago Auserón, premiering live with Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León (OSCyL) in Valladolid, Spain.

Women and Culture Award

Génesis, for orchestra, wins the 2013 Women and Culture Award from Diputación de Málaga, Spain.

Move to Los Angeles

Amparo moves to Los Angeles, California to pursue a career as a freelance composer and horn player.

Grammy Nomination

Amparo performs horn in the album Providencia by Danilo Pérez, nominated for a 2011 Grammy Award in the category of Best Instrumental Jazz Album.

Berklee College of Music scholarship

Amparo moves to Boston to pursue a degree at Berklee College of Music, thanks to a full scholarship from the Spanish Association of Composers and Publishers (SGAE).

Salvador Seguí International Composition Competition

Juego de niños, for piano solo, wins the 2007 Salvador Seguí International Composition Competition in Montserrat, Spain.