Of Cuban-Guatemalan descent, Carlos Rafael Rivera has established a name for himself as a composer with the unique ability of incorporating a large diversity of musical influences into his captivating compositions, which reflect his multi-cultural upbringing in Washington, DC, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Miami, and Los Angeles.

His music has been performed by some of the world's most prominent ensembles and soloists, including Arturo Sandoval, Colin Currie, Chanticleer, Cavatina Duo, the American Composers Orchestra (ACO), the New England Philharmonic, and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet; commissioned by the Simon Bolivar Youth Symphony, the Miami Symphony Orchestra, and the American Wind Symphony; recorded by Warner, Sony, Naxos, and Cedille labels; published by Mel-Bay, and Doberman Editions; and awarded by the ACO, the Herb Alpert Foundation, the Guitar Foundation of America, BMI, and twice by ASCAP.

He is a sought out resident composer, clinician, and guest lecturer throughout the US, covering topics ranging from his own music, to the work of George Gershwin and Radiohead. A DMA graduate in Music Composition at USC's Thornton school, he studied with Donald Crockett and Stephen Hartke; with Orlando Garcia and Fredrick Kaufman at Florida International University; and mentored with the great Randy Newman.

As a guitarist, he studied with the noted teacher Carlos Molina, and quickly established a name for himself as not only a virtuoso on the instrument, but also as one of its preeminent composers.

Equally comfortable in the popular music world, he has performed onstage as opening act for The Who at the Hollywood Bowl, while his guitar work includes performances on feature soundtracks (Crash, Dragonfly); studio sessions for Island/Def Jam, and Universal Records; as well as ABC's Scrubs, MTV, and VH-1.

He was musical consultant for "Invitation to World Literature," an educational series funded by the Annenberg Foundation and produced by WGBH, is a voting member of the Recording Academy (Grammy's), as well as the Miami Symphony Orchestra's Strategic Alliances program, whose membership includes conductors Gustavo Dudamel, and Alondra de la Parra.

Dr. Rivera is newly appointed Composer-In-Residence with the Miami Symphony Orchestra for the 2011-12 season, as well as a faculty member at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music.