Gabriela Ortiz, born in 1964, studied first in Mexico and later in London, where she took a doctorate in electronic music at the City University. Today she lives in the United States while serving as professor of composition in Mexico City. Gabriela Ortiz is one of Mexico’s most internationally famous composers, blending influences from the Western avant-guard with elements from Mexican folk music, jazz and improvisation. Her stage works deal at times with severe problems in Mexico’s society, such as poverty, drugs and violence.