Biography
Alvaro Balvin Benavides is a distinguished film composer from Lima, celebrated for his innovative contributions to film, documentary, theater, and musical scores. He is best known for his work on the Netflix series Street Food: Latin America and Chef’s Table BBQ.
Alvaro's impressive portfolio includes composing the score for Mother in the Mist, a Chinese film directed by Kay Zhang that won the American Pavilion Award for Best Short Film at Cannes Film Festival. In 2021, he scored Unfinished Lives, directed by Yucong Chen, which received top honors as Best Documentary at both the Student Academy Awards and the BAFTA Student Film Awards.
In 2024, Alvaro composed additional music for Cities of the Future, a feature-length documentary narrated by John Krasinski. This high-profile project further established his reputation in the industry. This same year he did more additional music for another documentary called Superhuman Body, narrated. by Matthew McConaughey. Additionally, he scored the short film Black Silk, directed by Patrick Michael, which won the Jury Prize at the Dances With Films festival in Los Angeles and was screened at the prestigious TCL Chinese Theater.
In 2023, Alvaro brought his unique touch to the theater play La vida es Sueño, directed by Fito Valles, a production of Teatro La Plaza that was featured in the International Theater Festival of Almagro, Spain. He also wrote the music for Cyrano de Bergerac, also directed by Fito Falles, which is another production of Teatro La Plaza. He frequently collaborates with director Mario Saldaña, on plays such as Vedete (2025), and Perseo (2026) where he worked as a Composer and Musical Director. He has also collaborated frequently with director Jen Aguirre Woytkowski on works including Jauría, Playoff, and Con el corazón detrás. He also scored the immersive theater production Reset, directed by David Algar, which blended contemporary dance, visual projections, video mapping, and live lighting design.
Alvaro’s extensive global collaborations with directors and producers from the USA, Peru, Colombia, England, China, India, and the Dominican Republic have deeply influenced his versatile writing style. He sees cross-collaborations as a valuable means of exploring diverse cultures and musical traditions.
His distinctive style integrates symphonic orchestration, synthesizers, and ethnic instruments, creating a unique sound tailored to each project. Alvaro believes that every film deserves a bespoke musical identity that reflects its narrative and cultural context. Whether crafting melodically driven, rhythmically intense, electronic, or ambient scores, his goal is to give each film a distinctive voice.
In 2026 completed composing the music for Av. Lima, a feature film directed by Renzo Puch, where he recorded a live orchestra in Budapest. He also finished composing for El Apego, theater play directed by Fito Valles, an is currently working on the music for a new upcoming documentary. He studied at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, specializing in Film Scoring, and continued his postgraduate studies at the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles.