Bio – Juan Guillermo Villarreal

Juan Guillermo Villarreal Solar is a Colombian composer, arranger, and pianist whose work articulates academic tradition with the popular languages of the Caribbean and Latin America from a contemporary, critical, and poetic perspective.

Profile and biographical sketch

Academic Tradition and Popular Language

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Educational Background

Bachelor in Musical Arts from ASAB (Universidad Distrital) and Master in Musical Studies from Universidad Central. Training in orchestration with Jaime Torres Donneys and masterclasses with Jan Van der Roost, Gregory Fritze, and Ferrer Ferrán.

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Composition and Arrangements

Works and arrangements for symphony orchestra, symphonic band, Big Band, jazz combo, and chamber ensembles. Commissions by the National Symphonic Band of Colombia, Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.

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Awards and Recognitions

Winner of the Best Arrangement Award in Paipa (2025) and original composition awards in Paipa and Anapoima (2019), along with the Golden Saxophone Award for Best Pianist and recognitions in jazz and Latin music.

CAREER AND TEACHING

Academia, Jury and Research

Lectureship and Teaching

He has been the coordinator of the Composition and Music Theory emphases at the Universidad Central in Bogotá and a professor of Composition and Arranging at the ASAB Faculty of Arts. In addition, he served as composer-in-residence for the Symphonic Band of Cundinamarca and IDECUT.

Jury Experience

Judge in the most relevant contests in Colombia, including the National Band Contest of Paipa, the Ministry of Culture Contest, the Porro Festival in San Pelayo, the Orchestra Festival of the Barranquilla Carnival, and calls for applications by the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra.

Research and Identity

He leads the Juan Villarreal Trio, a project stemming from his academic research on traditional Caribbean music (porro and fandango). His discography seeks to revitalize cultural identity through a contemporary reinterpretation of traditional sounds.

INTERNATIONAL TRACK RECORD

Global Scene and Salsa

Experience as a pianist and arranger in productions and on stages alongside top international exponents of Latin jazz, salsa, and world-renowned groups.

Artists and Figures

He has collaborated as a pianist and arranger with figures of the caliber of Alfredo «Chocolate» Armenteros (Cuba), Jimmy Bosch (USA), Paoli Mejías (Puerto Rico), Alfredo Naranjo and Gerardo Rosales (Venezuela), and Alfredo de la Fe (Cuba). He was also a guest pianist for the legendary Dave Weckl Band.

Featured Collaborations

Salsa & Latin Jazz International

Comments

“From the prolific work of Juan Guillermo Villarreal, it virtuously explores some music of the Colombian Caribbean, especially the porro and the fandango.
Bank of the Republic: Young Performers Series, 2022.

Comments

“He is a talented musician born in Cereté (Córdoba) who, throughout his professional career, has embraced with equal skill both the traditions of academic music and those of popular music.
Bank of the Republic: Chamber Music Tours, 2022.

Comments

“He has built a musical aesthetic influenced by a broad spectrum of artistic references. In particular, he has found a special source of inspiration in those 20th-century composers who developed their own expressive language by acknowledging the influence of their local musical traditions, in order to transform them through renewing perspectives.”
Tempo Magazine, 2025.

Interested in renting or commissioning a piece of art?

Explore the catalog of pieces for orchestra, symphonic band, and chamber ensembles, or get in touch directly for custom composition, orchestration, and arrangement projects.