Gustavo Alonso López

Gustavo Alonso López is a guitarist-composer based in Walla Walla, WA. Born and raised in Twin Falls, Idaho, as the son of a Salvadoran immigrant, he’s formally educated in architecture. His multi-cultural, cross-disciplinary background guides an idiosyncratic career path centered around music and design. His music blurs the lines between composition and improvisation, between flamenco, classical, and jazz, and between a grassroots oral tradition and the institutionalized Western notation system. For reasons musical, personal, and cultural, flamenco is the cornerstone of his creative practice.

In 2014, Gustavo independently recorded his debut record, Punto Lejano. It was performed by a six-piece, instrumental ensemble and consists of four long-form pieces. This led to Gustavo receiving a Fulbright fellowship to pursue advanced instrument training in Sevilla, Spain. During Fulbright, he trained with top flamenco guitarists, created original music, and conducted an interview project with the broader flamenco community. Upon returning, Gustavo commenced work on his second studio album, Espasón, which included collaborators from the US, Italy, and Spain. Espasón was released in July of 2023. Shortly thereafter, Gustavo was awarded a composition fellowship by The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico, where he spent the summer of 2024 as an artist-in-residence while composing music for his third record.

Gustavo enjoys sharing his work with communities not typically exposed to flamenco and is committed to generating cross-cultural dialogue and mutual understanding through music and art. Outside of work, he enjoys the open road and experiencing the world from the back of his motorcycle.