About

Jimena Maldonado Álvarez (b. 1988) is a Mexican composer, researcher and educator.

Having studied both Composition and Photography, she is interested in combining the two disciplines in order to achieve alternative forms of composing, researching, teaching, collaborating, and presenting her work. Her work has been performed and commissioned by the Ligeti Quartet (UK), Jeffrey Zeigler (USA), Decibel ensemble (UK), Cuarteto José White (MX), Catchpenny Ensemble (NL), Rohan de Saram (UK), Orkest de Ereprijs (NL), BlackBox Ensemble (USA), Bozzini Quartet (CAN), and HD Duo (AUS), in festivals such as the Manuel Enriquez International Festival of New Music (MX), Le Tout-petit festival musical (FR), Open Circuit Festival (UK), Aires Nacionales (MX), Dag in de Branding (NL), Fem Fest (NL), and MATA Festival (USA), Festival Internacional Cervantino (MX), among others. In 2020, she won the prestigious Hildegard Competition of the National Sawdust in New York City, for which she was commissioned a new piece which premiered in March 2021 in New York. Her debut album Intervened memory was released in 2022 by Birmingham Record Company. Jimena completed a BA in Composition and Music Theory at the Research and Music Studies Centre (CIEM) in Mexico City and holds an MA in Composition from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. She completed a PhD at the Birmingham Conservatoire, with the support of CONACYT-FINBA (MX). Jimena currently works as a freelance composer and is the coordinator of the Master's practice-based research course at the Prins Claus Conservatorium in Groningen.

Awards & distinctions

  • 2025 Commissioned Artist, Festival Internacional Cervantino, Mexico
  • 2025 Artist-in-Focus, FemFest, Rotterdam
  • 2025 Honorary Vice President, Workers’ Music Association, UK
  • 2020 Winner, Hildegard Competition, National Sawdust, New York

Grants & residencies

  • 2025 Makersregeling Grant, Gemeente Den Haag
  • 2024, 2022, 2021 Werkbijdrage muziekauteur, Nederlands Fonds Podiumkunsten
  • 2021 Record and Release Fund, Help Musicians UK
  • 2019 Composer-in-Residence, Le Tout-petit festival musical, France
  • 2018 FINBA PhD Scholarship, Mexico

Performed by

  • BlackBox Ensemble
  • But What About Ensemble
  • Catchpenny Ensemble
  • Cepromusic Ensemble
  • Cuarteto de Cuerdas de Bellas Artes
  • Cuarteto José White
  • Decibel Ensemble
  • HD Duo
  • Irvine Arditti
  • Jeffrey Zeigler
  • Juventas New Music Ensemble
  • Ligeti Quartet
  • National Sawdust Ensemble
  • Orkest de Ereprijs
  • Quatuor Bozzini
  • Quinteto de Alientos de la Ciudad de México
  • Rohan de Saram

Festivals

  • Aires Nacionales
  • Dag in de Branding
  • Fem Fest
  • Festival Internacional Cervantino
  • Le Tout-petit festival musical
  • Manuel Enríquez International Festival of New Music
  • MATA Festival
  • MISE-EN Festival
  • Open Circuit Festival