CARLOS RAFAEL RIVERA
Carlos Rafael Rivera is a Grammy and two-time Emmy winning composer and educator with a multifaceted career in Film, TV, and the Performing Arts. His work includes the critically acclaimed score for Netflix's limited series THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT, one of the most-viewed Netflix limited series of all time, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and directed by Scott Frank. This achievement earned Rivera his second Primetime Emmy Award, his first Grammy, and additional accolades including the Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL) Award, the BMI Film & TV Visual Media Award, the Hollywood Music in Media (HMMA) Award, and two International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) Awards.
This past year, Carlos scored the Apple TV series LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY, starring Brie Larson, for which he received two Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL) nominations, including a win for Main Title Sequence. His upcoming projects include the anticipated Netflix limited series GRISELDA, starring Sofia Vergara; Bleecker Street's EZRA, starring Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, and Robert DeNiro; as well as his continued collaborations with writer/director Scott Frank on AMC Network's MONSIEUR SPADE and the Netflix series DEPARTMENT Q.
Rivera's film and TV scoring credits also extend to the Netflix limited series GODLESS, which earned him his first Primetime Emmy, Universal Pictures' A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES with Liam Neeson, CHUPA for Netflix, JUST BEYOND for Disney+, the global hit LA REINA DEL SUR 3 for Netflix/Telemundo, and HBO Max's hit TV show and 32-time Emmy nominee HACKS, starring Jean Smart, for which he received the World Soundtrack Award (WSA) and the BMI Film & TV Visual Media Award.
A protégé of Randy Newman, Rivera earned a DMA in Composition at USC's Thornton School of Music, where he studied with Donald Crockett and Stephen Hartke. As a guitarist, he has performed as an opening act for The Who at the Hollywood Bowl, recorded studio sessions for Island/Def Jam and Universal Records,
and had songs featured on soundtracks such as CRASH and DRAGONFLY, as well as Netflix's FIREFLY LANE, ABC's SCRUBS, MTV, and VH-1.
His music for visual media and the performing arts reflects his multicultural upbringing in Central America and the United States. It has been acclaimed by the Miami Herald, the San Francisco Examiner, and the LA Times; performed by Arturo Sandoval, the Cincinnati Pops, Chanticleer, Cavatina Duo, the Chicago Sinfonietta, the American Composers Orchestra, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, the Pro Musica Mundi Choir, and the Beethoven Academy Orchestra; commissioned by the Simón Bolívar Youth Symphony and the American Wind Symphony; released by Varèse Sarabande, Lakeshore, BMG, Sony, Naxos, and Cedille labels; and awarded by the Herb Alpert Foundation, the Guitar Foundation of America, BMI, and twice by ASCAP.
Carlos has served as Composer-in-Residence with the Miami Symphony Orchestra and as a musical consultant for the Annenberg Foundation-funded educational series "Invitation to World Literature." His commitment to the profession extends to his roles as a voting member of the Television Academy (Emmys) and the Recording Academy (Grammys), and as a board member of the Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL).
Rivera is a sought-after guest composer and lecturer throughout the Americas and Europe, reflecting his commitment to artistic excellence and education. He passionately shares his knowledge as an Associate Professor and Chair of the Media Scoring and Production Department at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music.
He resides in Miami, Florida, and is represented by Bradley Rainey at WME, as well as Thomas Mikusz for White Bear PR.
MEDIA KIT
Download press kit, full biography, and full-resolution photos
MEDIA KIT
Download press kit, full biography, and full-resolution photos