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about
Alonso Malik Pirio is a composer for film and television, as well as a performer and music director, whose work blends orchestral, jazz, and Black diasporic traditions with contemporary scoring techniques, including synths, experimental textures, and hybrid orchestration. He has scored projects including the Hulu feature HAINT, and is a Grammy-winning choral artist (The Passion of Yeshua) and a Grammy-nominated music collaborator (The Color Purple). Classically trained at UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music, he has built a multifaceted career spanning film scoring, concert composition, and live performance.
As a film composer, Alonso’s work has been featured at major festivals including Tribeca, BFI, SeriesFest, NewFilmmakers Los Angeles, and the Afro Animation Summit. His recent work includes the Hulu film HAINT (2025), for which he traveled to collaborate and record with the Geechee Gullah Ring Shouters, bringing a deeply rooted cultural and sonic authenticity to the score. He has also scored award-winning films such as Osun (2023), winner of a Cooper Award, as well as Special Delivery (2021) and All I Know (2020), alongside a wide range of animated and live-action projects across film, television, and digital media.
Alonso’s concert compositions explore themes of nature, society, and the African diaspora, blending jazz and impressionist influences with contemporary classical forms. He served as composer-in-residence at Western Michigan University, where they premiered his flute concerto: Migration, marking his orchestral premiere and supported by a Presidential Innovation Grant. His works have also been performed internationally, and he has received commissions from artists and institutions including Martha Councell-Vargas, Myles Blakemore, Diversify the Stand: Winds of Change, Art Song for New Beginnings, and an upcoming project for ABRSM.
Alonso is a versatile performer and multi-instrumentalist, equally at home conducting pit orchestras, performing on keyboards, or singing. He has conducted and music-directed ensembles including the Geechee Gullah Ring Shouters and the South Side Symphony, and appeared on stage as Jimmy Powers in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill. He has conducted and played keyboards for the five-time Tony Award-winning A Christmas Carol at Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles, performed with the LA Opera, and is a Grammy-winning choral artist, having sung on The Passion of Yeshua with the UCLA Chamber Singers. Alonso has recorded keyboards for artists including Chloe x Halle, Andra Day, and Marcus Norris, as well as on shows for Netflix (BANDI) and Apple TV+ (Lady in the Lake), and performed in concert with ensembles ranging from the Buffalo and Cape Cod Philharmonics to jazz and soul acts such as Kenny Burrell, Alex Newell, and the Kings of Soul and Swing.
Alonso is a trusted collaborator on high-profile music productions. He served as lead transcriber on the Grammy-nominated soundtrack to The Color Purple (2025), as well as the Broadway musical Lempicka, and is the head music and tech assistant for Marcus Norris, contributing to the BMI Streaming Series Award-winning score for Lady in the Lake (Apple TV+) and the score for BANDI (Netflix), in addition to providing music direction, technical expertise, and creative support across film, television, and live performance projects.
As an educator, Alonso brings his expertise as a composer, performer, and music director to the classroom, teaching Media Music and Concert Music/Arranging at Culver City High School’s AVPA Department. When he’s not teaching or performing, he enjoys hiking and traveling, finding inspiration in both the landscapes of Los Angeles, his home city, and the cultures he experiences around the world.
TESTIMONIALS
“I consider Alonso my secret weapon. From full blown big band arrangements to gorgeous tracks for virtual concerts. Alonso has collaborated with me on them all, and brilliantly.”
- Julius Thomas III
"I’ve now had the opportunity to work with Alonso a handful of times for both narrative and commercial projects, both small scale and large scale projects and each time his attention to details and dedication to capturing the vision has blown myself and my team away.
I had never worked with a composer before Alonso, and he truly took his time to guide me through the process so that I felt confident. Alonso’s skills go far beyond his musical expertise, he is a very kind soul and I would reccomend him every-time."
-Adriel Jiminez
“Alonso Pirio is a wonderful composer. I worked with him on my latest short film ‘Pendulum’ and it was such a great experience. He is hardworking, diligent, a great listener and was able to execute my ideas efficiently and then improved upon it. He also always meets time goals and his creativity/work is top tier. I couldn’t be more happy with what we created for the film. I’m excited to work with him again on future projects. “
- Obinna Robert Onyeri
Alonso is a consummate professional and innovative collaborator. My short film Clara is a period piece that intertwines elements of surrealism and spirituality. I was very specific in how I wanted the film to sound and flow within the story. But Alonso was able to take my inspiration of southern gothic aesthetics and Gullah Geechee culture and elevate it to create an amazing thematic soundtrack for the film. It’s his attention to detail sets him apart and I would work with Alonso again in a heartbeat.
- Khiam'e L.F. [director]
“I have hired Alonso to do a number of transcription projects for me, as well as subbing for me as a pianist/musical director. Every single time, he has provided the most professional, accomplished work. In particular, for the Chicago Humanities Festival, his deft ear and quick copy work allowed us to recreate classic performances by artists like Freddie Mercury, Montserrat Caballé, Kathleen Battle, and James Ingram. Alonso is my go-to, and he should be yours, too!”
- Doug Peck
“I hired Alonso to compose an original score for an animated short, Big Bark, that I produced while an MFA Animation student at UCLA. Alonso not only produced a fantastic score that truly elevated my short film, but he also proved to be an excellent communicator and creative collaborator. He is a particularly gifted composer who really understands how to develop a score that suits the needs of the story and the director telling it. I particularly appreciated how flexible, dynamic, and reliable Alonso was to work with, and I can't recommend him enough.”
- Casey Kolodin
“Beyond his fresh, original, and exciting composing, Alonso is a consummate musician, and my go-to professional for all music related services. In the years I have worked with him, he has transcribed entire musical scores by ear, music directed ensembles for live performances, produced, edited, and sound mixed virtual choir recordings of voices collected from all over the world, created new arrangements, and recorded countless accompaniment tracks that are, frankly, the best piano playing you will find any where. I trust him with any job, in any setting, be it a recording studio, a classroom, or a live performance.”
- Jonny Perl
“Alonso was a monumental help in bringing my short animated film, Herald of Blue, to life. I asked specifically for African instruments like the Kora, Talking drum, Fula flute, and elements of Saber drumming to be incorporated and he delivered! He was able to create a sweet mix between traditionally European and African instruments that I found lacking in other composers I’ve worked with.
In terms of mixing, Alonso really helped me with what I knew was a botched recording. I had several recordings with a choir that just weren’t working as they were and Alonso really helped bring them together to make them coherent and musical again!
Alonso is punctual, easy to work with, and has a knowledge of music that makes him a great addition to any film or project. I’d absolutely work with him again!”
- Jacqueline Barnes
“While collaborating with Alonso is certainly fun and inspiring, the unique benefit of working with him is that he makes you a better artist. His knowledge, communication and sincere humanity bring more options to the table than you ever considered on your own, thereby expanding the creative possibilities to realize your vision.”
- Charles Steven Broadbent
“Alonso is an absolute dream to work with, the total package. A one-stop-shop for pretty much any musical need we could throw at him. His piano accompaniment is excellent both emotionally and technically across virtually any genre. He is an eminently capable composer, arranger, and transcriber. He is always supremely easy to work with and oozes professionalism. Oh and he even plays some mean percussion. I look forward to working with him again soon and would recommend you do the same!”
- Graham Wetterhahn
