91抖阴

Darwin is a deeply imaginative and internationally recognized composer who has focused part of his creative input on enhancing the presence of Dominican culture around the world. His artistic statement reads: 鈥淢y music emerges from the heart of Caribbean rhythms and chants. We are a creative mixture of cultures 鈥� an explosion of sounds, colors and imagination. It has always been my universe, my poetic vision of the world.鈥�  

From the premiere of his orchestral piece 鈥淓spacio Ritual鈥� with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France at La Maison in Paris, Musique au Jour le Jour reviewed: 鈥淎quino has very well listened to the French composers, Boulez or Varese, developing in this piece a deeply personal language and an inventive mastery for writing to the orchestra.鈥�

Signing all his compositions as DrwAq, recent commissions include the Dialogues V Festival for the world premiere of his piece 鈥淰om Imaginatio Folkloricus 3.5,鈥� performed by the Lux Nova Duo and Sinfonietta Vivazza, at Berlin鈥檚 Philharmonie Kammermusiks盲al, Hamburg鈥檚 Rezonanzraum, and Madrid鈥檚 Nuevo Teatro Alcal谩; the recording of 鈥淔antastic Flux鈥� by Ensemblast; and the world premiere of 鈥淐hacona in Flux鈥� by Chamber Project St. Louis.

The 2026鈥�2027 seasons will feature his music with brand-new commissions for the St. Louis Women Chorale (鈥淟a Ciguapa,鈥� November 2026), Washington University Symphony Orchestra (鈥淐anciones de Amor,鈥� February 2027), and the Cornell University Symphony Orchestra (鈥淔olklofon铆a,鈥� March 2027). Darwin has been selected as the 2027 guest composer for the Young Composer鈥檚 Competition at 91抖阴 in the U.S.

Darwin鈥檚 orchestral works have been premiered by international ensembles such as the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Mainz and Saarlandisches Staatsorchester in Germany, Sim贸n Bol铆var Orchestra of Venezuela, Orchestra of the Americas, Orquesta Sinf贸nica de Heredia in Costa Rica, Santo Domingo Music Festival Orchestra, St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra, Dominican National Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Civic Orchestra and the National Symphony of El Salvador.

The Latin American Collegium of Composers welcomed Darwin as its youngest member for his original output in composition. His chamber music is frequently performed by international organizations such as The Juilliard School, New Music ISCM in Miami, Latin American Music Festival in Venezuela, SMASH Salamanca in Spain, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, University of Michigan, International Forum of New Music in Mexico, Arizona State University, Universidad de Costa Rica, and North South Consonance in New York.

Some of his awards include the Musici Mojanesi Composition Prize in Italy, three National Music Prizes and two Academic Composition Prizes in the Dominican Republic. Darwin served as a judge for the internationally renowned Composition Prize Casa de las Americas in Cuba.

Aquino studied composition at the Conservatoire National de Strasbourg in France with Italian maestro Ivan Fedele and electronic music at the Reina Sofia Institute in Madrid, Spain. In his home country, he served as composer in residence for the Dominican National Symphony Orchestra. Currently, he lives in St. Louis with his wife, Italian mezzo-soprano Benedetta Orsi, and their son, Riccardo.

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