We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Micaela Carballo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Micaela, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Learning has always been a way of life for me. I decided to study music when I was just 6 years old, and my journey as a musician has mostly unfolded within academia. When I was 18, I made the decision to pursue music as a professional career. I remember my parents encouraging me to attend university and earn a degree in a career that help me to find a job. I researched music programs in Argentina and gathered the courage to sit down with them. I told them, “Mom, Dad, I’ve decided to study music. I’ll attend the University of La Plata to study composition. I understand if you don’t agree, but this is what I truly want to do. I’ll work day and night if I have to.”

My parents, unsure of my decision, still supported me, and I graduated with two degrees—Composition and Choral Conducting. But I soon realized my passion was film music, and since there were no programs for Film Scoring in Argentina, I decided to explore options abroad. I was incredibly lucky to receive a full scholarship to study Film Music in Barcelona, Spain. That year was the happiest of my life. It was there I discovered that music is a universal language, the key to learning new cultures, languages, and experiences.

My academic journey didn’t stop there. I moved to London to pursue another Master’s in Film Scoring at the Royal College of Music. I wanted to study the same things I had in Spanish, but this time in English. The language barrier was tough for me at first, and I struggled with English, but I worked hard, passed the required exam, and eventually felt at home in London. Admittedly, most of my friends were fellow Latinos—there’s something about that shared culture that brings people together.

After completing my Master’s in London, I made the move to Los Angeles, where I now live and work. English is now my primary language, whether at home or at the university where I teach.

My journey in academia may have been long—nearly 10 years of studying—but I don’t regret a single moment. Public university degrees in Argentina take 6 or 7 years, so it was a different pace. Beyond music, I learned the art of living, made lifelong friendships, lived in various countries, navigated different cultures, and gained invaluable life and working experiences.

It’s been a journey of perseverance, passion, and growth. And although it wasn’t perfect, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an Argentine composer and conductor based in Los Angeles with more than ten years of experience in the music industry. I have composed the music for several short-films, feature-films, documentaries, video games and classical music. I consider myself as a music storyteller, I love working with artistic concepts and collaborate with other artists or creative people. Although I have worked on countless styles of music ranging from big band and jazz to big orchestral scores to intimate soundscapes, I simply love exploring new musical ideas and making them unique to support the project I am working on. As a latina composer, what maybe make me different to others, is my ability to incorporate the sounds of tango or salsa into my compositions, as well as using instruments like the bandoneón, charango, Latin American flutes, and more.

​I have garnered international attention, having won multiple Best Score awards and composed original music for the Disney-distributed film Norbert, as well as the Spanish-Argentine film Hermanados, among others. My music has been premiered and recorded in Argentina, Vienna, Bratislava, London, Thailand, Costa Rica, and Los Angeles. I composed the music for Marvel’s I Am Groot live in concert for the Tito Puente 100 show, which premiered with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Puerto Rico. I am also the composer and producer of the feature film La Inmensidad, recorded in London and mixed at Abbey Road Studios. The music for the documentary film Jaguar Spirit (National Geographic) was recently premiered by the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica.

I am a graduate of the University of La Plata, Argentina, and hold Master’s degrees in Composition and Film Scoring from the Royal College of Music in London, as well as the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya in Barcelona. I was the former Director of Bands for the Argentine Air Force and am currently a professor of orchestration at CSUN University in Los Angeles.

I also have a career as a classical composer, I have a catalog available in JWPepper and my music was performed with orchestras and musicians from across the world. In 2022, I was awarded the Issachard Fund Award by the School of Divinity in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 2024, I received the Emerging Composer Award from Radio Nacional Clásica in Argentina, as well as the 2024 Yale Glee Club Emerging Composer Award, where I premiered my choral work Nuestra Mirada at Yale University with the Yale and Princeton Glee Club Choirs.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

One of the things I wish I had known earlier in my life is how to do business as an artist. I consider myself primarily an artist/creator, always looking to explore music and the arts, but I realized that if you don’t learn about business, you won’t be able to have a successful career as an artist. Instead, you’ll end up having to work doing something else while pursuing your art. It has always been clear to me that I want to work as a musician, and be the best version of myself in my profession. However, I spent a lot of time learning and creating without earning enough money to make a living from music.

I had to spend more than a year learning about business, understanding that in order to create, I need people to be interested in my work. To be able to create my art, I first need to make a product that I can sell, not just something inspired by my emotions or what I feel in the moment. This was very difficult because I had to completely change the way I think and put my artistic side on pause to focus on my business side.

I think there has to be a balance, but to be able to work full-time as an artist, you need to be able to sell your product, work on your marketing, website, networking, building your portfolio, and more. If you want your music to be heard, you need an audience. You need musicians who want to play it. You need more than just a piece of paper with beautiful ideas. No one is going to call you if you don’t show what you do, knock on thousands of doors, and hear thousands of “no”s as answers, or even no answers at all. You need the “no”s to get to the “yes”.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I always think that I wouldn’t be here in Los Angeles, working as a film composer, if it weren’t for the help of my mentor, my grandfather. Although he wasn’t a musician, he was the person who always believe on me when no one else did. Before he passed away, I was still studying for my degree, and in a conversation I had with him, he asked me, “What do you want to do in the future?” I said, “I want to study film music abroad, but I know it’s not possible because it’s very expensive,” and he replied, “I know you will do it.” When he passed away, it was a very difficult time for me, and the only thing I did all the time was study and stay focused on my career. But when I finished my degree, I remembered what he had said, and I was sure he was still helping me. I found the Foundation Carolina scholarship to study in Spain, applied for it, and I was confident I would be one of the winners. I don’t know why, but I had that feeling, that instinct. That scholarship changed my life and gave me the hope to keep going, knowing that nothing is impossible to achieve if you truly believe and work hard for it. Now I think my grandfather is a star that accompanies me on my journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.micaelacarballo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micaelacarballocompositora/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/micaelacarballocompositora/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micaela-carballo/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@micaelacarballo8752
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7D1tLSSzSni7h4dhOpqxqT?si=DYtSIe1ARvaE1b2IMK_qjw