Born: December 21, 1979 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA Carlos José Alvarez is a dynamic and versatile composer as well as a gifted percussionist. Born of Cuban immigrants, Carlos began playing his native music as a child but also developed a profound love for the orchestra at an early age. He was accepted into a performing arts school at age twelve where he studied symphonic percussion, music theory, and piano. During high school, he started performing with orchestras throughout South Florida and went on to receive a scholarship to attend the Florida State University. While there, he scored numerous award winning student films and upon graduating he was honored with a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music where he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Film Scoring. In 2005 he accepted a conducting fellowship to study under Michalis Economou with the Athens Symphony Orchestra. Carlos' life-long passion for storytelling is evident in the variety of music he creates for the screen. Within his artistic process he considers himself a storyteller as much as a composer. Breathing life into the characters and luring the audience into the story is what really excites him. He finds much of his inspiration in a film's imagery and characters and his love for powerful and touching melodies shines through his music. Carlos resides in Los Angeles.