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 the score for Cities of the Future, a feature-length documentary narrated by John Krasinski. This high-profile project further established his reputation in the industry. 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 frequently collaborates with director Jen Woytkowski on notable theater works including Jauría, Playoff, and Con el corazón detrás. He also scored the immersive art production Reset, directed by David Algar, which blended contemporary dance, visual projections, mapping, and live lighting design.

Alvaro’s extensive global collaborations with directors and producers from the USA, Peru, Colombia, 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.

Currently, Alvaro has completed the orchestration for La Loca del Frente, a musical set to premiere in early 2025. 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.