We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Aida Saco-Beiroa a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Aida, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
As a composer with a focus on media composition, a large part of my inspiration comes from a deep need for storytelling. For me, music is a response to the need for expression: it emerges when there is something that must be said, felt, or understood beyond words. Since I was very young, I remember composing music for my favorite films and books.
Although this approach to music and storytelling was intuitive and very free at the time, the passion that shaped it remains alive today in much the same way.
At the same time, as a pianist with extensive training in classical music, I am fortunate to engage constantly with masterpieces from the history of music, works that enrich me both as a musician and as a person.
Combining different projects and facets of my musical life is what keeps my creativity alive and my curiosity continually engaged.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m a Spanish media/concert composer and pianist based in New York City.
Since I was a child, music has been a fundamental part of my life, and today I am fortunate to say that my compositions have been performed in numerous concert halls and film festivals across Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland, and the United States.
As a teenager, I released two albums: Metamorfoses (2017), a musical diary of my final year of high school, and Ronseis do tempo (2019). As I continued developing my career, my music has appeared on radio, in theater productions, commercials, and films. I am the recipient of multiple scholarships and awards, including the 2022 Fulbright Scholarship, the 2023 Fundació Pedro i Pons Scholarship, and the 2024 Fundació “la Caixa” fellowship.
As a classical pianist, I have won first prizes in numerous international piano competitions, and my compositional work was nominated for the V Martín Códax da Música Awards and selected as a semifinalist for the MIN 2020 Awards.
I believe what makes me unique as an artist is my versatility and the personal voice I bring to every project. This season, for example, I have combined both performance and composition across a wide range of contexts.
To mention some of my recent shows, my original project, Urdimes, which blends piano and string music, dance, and audiovisual art, premiered at the Teatro Colón de A Coruña, featuring dancer Estefanía Gómez and musicians from the Galicia Symphony Orchestra. I have collaborated with renowned orchestras as both a soloist and composer in the past months, including a commission from the United Nations Symphony Orchestra for their Global Women in Music concert, where I had previously been featured as a performer. With the Classical Vigo Orchestra, I performed as a soloist Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G, one of my favorite pieces of all time, at the prestigious Afundación Theatre in Vigo.
Finally, I enjoy combining my professional career with academic work. After teaching at the Manhattan School of Music and the Bronx Conservatory of Music, I now teach Group Composition at New York University.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
First, openness has been a driving force behind my growth. Being receptive to different musical languages, artistic disciplines, and narratives has allowed me to move fluidly between concert music, media composition, and performance. For those starting out, I would encourage embracing versatility in training. Being able to say yes to a variety of projects and opportunities can open doors and help shape a sustainable career in music.
Second, discipline, especially through classical training, has been essential. Being a highly disciplined and self-driven person has given me the energy and resilience to move through the different challenges I have encountered along the way. My advice is to set clear, achievable goals and commit to them fully. Whether composing or studying a piece as a performer, embracing structure and routine, even when inspiration feels distant, can make all the difference. Discipline does not limit creativity; it sustains it.
Third, authenticity, which I believe is essential today in developing a career as an artist, has been a guiding force in my journey. Allowing myself to trust my own voice has brought me many of the successes I have achieved so far. For those early in their path, my advice is to stay true to what genuinely resonates with you rather than trying to fit external expectations.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Throughout my career, I have collaborated extensively with artists from a wide range of disciplines, including painters, poets, filmmakers, dancers, and fellow musicians, both established figures and emerging talents. One of my greatest joys and goals as an artist is to create multidisciplinary projects that foster shared expression. My recent project, Urdimes (2025), premiered at the prestigious Teatro Colón in A Coruña, is a clear example of this approach, combining music, dance, and audiovisual expression into a unified artistic experience.
Following my time in the NYU Screen Scoring program, where I train thanks to the “La Caixa” scholarship, which was personally awarded to me by the King of Spain in a ceremony last summer, and where I already teach Group Composition lessons, I am looking to expand my collaborations with filmmakers, helping to shape projects with music that enhances emotion and storytelling.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aidasacobeiroa.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aidasacobeiroa/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aida.sacobeiroa.3/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AidaSacoBeiroa
Image Credits
Carlos Martínez Casanova
Olalla Lojo (2nd picture)
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