Mexican Composer Gabriela Ortiz Wins 3 Grammys at 61

Gabriela Ortiz spent a lifetime weaving Mexican history into classical music, and at 61, the world finally gave her three Grammy Awards in one night.

The Mexico City composer won best contemporary classical composition for "Dzonot," a cello concerto inspired by the mystical cenotes of the Yucatán Peninsula. She shared two additional Grammy wins for the album "Gabriela Ortiz: Yanga," which took home best classical compendium and best choral performance at the 68th Grammy Awards on Sunday.

"It comes from my roots, from memory, and from a deep belief that music can carry history, dignity, and hope," Ortiz wrote on Instagram after her wins.

Born to founding members of the folk group Los Folkloristas, Ortiz grew up playing charango and guitar before pursuing classical composition. She studied with prominent Mexican composers at the National Conservatory of Music and UNAM, then earned her doctorate in London, creating a signature style that fuses concert tradition with electronics and multimedia.

Her Grammy-winning piece "Dzonot" premiered in Los Angeles in 2024, written specifically for cellist Alisa Weilerstein and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The work captures the spiritual depth of cenotes, those sacred underground pools scattered across Mexico's landscape.

Gustavo Dudamel, the world-renowned conductor and music director of the L.A. Philharmonic, calls Ortiz "one of the most talented composers in the world." She currently serves as composer-in-residence at Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, London's Philharmonia Orchestra, and Barcelona's Palau de la Música Catalana, while teaching composition at UNAM.

This marks Ortiz's second consecutive Grammy sweep. In 2025, she won three Grammys for "Revolución diamantina," a ballet score that became the first full album of her orchestral music. She's now collected six Grammy Awards total.

The Ripple Effect

Ortiz's success signals a broader shift in classical music toward composers who honor their cultural heritage rather than hide it. Her wins came during a strong night for Mexican artists, with Natalia Lafourcade taking best Latin pop album for "Cancionera" and Carín León winning best música mexicana album.

Major concert halls across three continents now compete for Ortiz's time, commissioning works that bring Mexican history and landscapes to audiences who might never visit a cenote or learn about Yanga, the freed African slave who founded Mexico's first free Black settlement.

Classical music is making room for stories beyond Europe's borders, and Ortiz is leading the way with compositions that prove tradition and innovation aren't opposites.