Angel Velez, Co-founder/Director
"Vélez brings an energy that bridges Hollywood and classical music with seamless brilliance."
— The Post (Philippines)
Conductor Angel Vélez is internationally recognized for his dynamic presence at the intersection of film music and classical performance. A leading figure in the world of media music, Vélez has earned a reputation for bringing cinematic scores to life on the concert stage while engaging deeply with classical and symphonic traditions across the globe.
Vélez has conducted world premiere concert performances of blockbuster scores such as Captain Marvel, Green Book, and The Book of Boba Fett, among many others. His work spans iconic television and film franchises including Family Guy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Star Wars: Rebels. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with orchestras across North America, South America, Asia, and Europe, captivating audiences with programs that blend Hollywood hits with orchestral depth.
He currently serves as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Studio Intensive Orchestra at Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles. Under his leadership, the ensemble has recorded projects including the 75th anniversary tribute Ran Kan Kan(Tito Puente 100) with Tito Puente, Jr., The Hollywood Collection vinyl album, and Aria from Bachianas Brasileirasfeaturing Argentinian soprano Maria De Los Angeles Reynaud. Vélez has collaborated with Latin music legends such as Arturo Sandoval, Pedro Capó, Fernando Allende, and many more.
His international recording credits include sessions with Germany’s renowned Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz for the Südwestrundfunk, and the upcoming 25th anniversary re-recording of Jerry Goldsmith’s The Mummy with the Hollywood Studio Symphony. Vélez is also Music Director of Silent Films Live and the Harold Lloyd Symphony Series, and was recently appointed Music Director Designate of the Singapore International Soundtrack Festival—further reflecting his global leadership in symphonic media performance.
A passionate educator, Vélez has led masterclasses in Argentina, Australia, Costa Rica, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the UK, and the U.S., and serves on the faculty of the Los Angeles College of Music. As director of the Los Angeles Film Conducting Intensive at Warner Bros., he has trained the next generation of media composers, with alumni including Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther), Tom Howe (Ted Lasso), Jeff Russo (Star Trek: Picard), Sherri Chung (Riverdale), and many others. He also served as conducting coach for the Academy Awards. Through his cross-cultural engagements and innovative programming, Angel Vélez continues to redefine the relationship between the concert hall and the silver screen.
During COVID-19, Velez created engaging digital programs with the Hollywood Studio Chamber Orchestra for Los Angeles County’s Silent Films Live: Halloween UNcanceled, Star Wars: Across Generations Part II: The French Horn in the Star Wars Universe featuring principal hornists of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, and Canadian Brass, as well as Los Angeles Film Conducting Intensive’s 2020 New Music Project. The 2020 New Music Project was an initiative created to give voice to the unparalleled events of 2020 by commissioning over sixty new socially-distanced works by film/television composers, made available for free download and performance for the 2020-2021 season, and performed by principal musicians of the Boston Symphony, Canadian Brass, Chicago Symphony, Christchurch Symphony (New Zealand), Hollywood Studio Symphony, London Symphony (UK), Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Time for Three and many others.
Velez serves as an Associates Board Member for Education Through Music-Los Angeles, Board Member for University of Southern California Alumni Association's Trojan Entertainment Network, Advisory Board Member for the Academy of Scoring Arts and music consultant for the Ventura County Arts Council. He is the recipient of the 2014 American Prize in Orchestral Conducting-Youth Orchestra Division. He studied extensively with conducting pedagogues Donald Thulean and Kenneth Kiesler, holds degrees from Butler University, Berklee College of Music and University of Southern California. He lives in Southern California and enjoys learning about wine and surfs every chance he gets.