About Andrés
J. Andrés Ballesteros is a Boston-based composer, teaching artist, and administrator whose work is rooted in community, collaboration, and a deep engagement with the stories people carry. Praised for their "versatility of style and memorable hooks" (Boston Musical Intelligencer), his compositions span choral, orchestral, chamber, electroacoustic, and media music — and tend to begin with people rather than notes.
As a composer, Andrés often works with youth and community groups to create original music that centers their stories. These collaborations have focused on immigration in the United States, the local impacts of the climate crisis, and celebrating Latine identities, resulting in works that have been performed across the United States and internationally, from Serbia to Australia and beyond. He has received commissions and fellowships from the American Choral Directors Association, the Massachusetts International Festival for the Arts, the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, and the MIT Media Lab, among others, working with ensembles ranging from professional orchestras and chamber groups to youth choruses and school ensembles. He has also written for media including short films, podcasts, e-books, and a documentary.
Andrés's work extends into advocacy for representation, inclusion, and community engagement in classical music. He has worked with and advised dozens of organizations — including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, White Snake Projects, and the Ballets Russes Arts Initiative — on community engagement, programming, and artistic projects. These efforts have led to invitations to speak at the League of American Orchestras National Conference in 2018 and 2019, recognition as a Boston Latino 30 Under 30 honoree, and a profile in Ana Francisca Vega's Corazón de Mexicanos Como Yo, highlighting 50 Mexican Americans who broke boundaries.
A recipient of a Live Arts Boston grant from the Boston Foundation and Barr Foundation, Andrés graduated from Harvard University and holds Artist and Contemporary Collaboration Diplomas from the OAcademy Music Conservatory's Gabriela Ortiz Composing Studio. He began composing with Jack Jarrett in Greensboro, North Carolina, and is deeply indebted to his teachers, including Chaya Czernowin, Hans Tutschku, Edgar Barroso, Trevor Bača, and Erin Busch. Though he currently lives in Boston, he has roots and family in North Carolina, Mexico, and Texas, and visits frequently.
When not doing music or community work, he can be found traveling, writing, experimenting in the kitchen, or watching soccer.