David Hernandez is a dynamic composer, guitarist, and concert producer whose work spans film, concert music, video games, and collaborative arts. In 2026, he was appointed the Music Director Designate of the San Gabriel Valley Symphonic Jazz Orchestra with it's inaugural concert in Fall 2026 and currently serves as the Creative Director of the SGV Symphony. His evocative scores and compositions have been performed internationally, earning him recognition as a rising talent in the contemporary music scene.
An active composer for visual media, David most recently scored the feature film Our Happy Place (2024), directed by Paul Bickel, which was an official selection at both the 2024 Dancing with Films NY Film Festival and the 2025 Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival. Earlier that year, he scored the psychological thriller short Playthings (2024), directed by Scott Brian. In 2022, David contributed additional music to the video game Phantom Hysteria (2022), recording with the Budapest Scoring Orchestra for the project. He also composed the score for the short film The Perfect Slice (2022), directed by Ting Ting Liu.
As a composer of concert music, David’s works have been performed across the U.S. and abroad. His Cascades: Concerto for Guitar and Strings (2024) was premiered by the USC Thornton Symphony, featuring guitarist Michael Váscones. As a composer fellow in The Nancy and Barry Sanders Composer Fellowship Program, David wrote El Gaucho for String Orchestra (2021) for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which premiered at Walt Disney Concert Hall. His 2 Miniatures (2020) was premiered by Sandbox Percussion at the Beckmen YOLA Center. In 2021, Los Angeles Philharmonic bassist Jory Herman commissioned Lacking (2021) for solo double bass, which Herman performed in two solo concerts in the fall of 2024. The Fall of 2024 saw classical guitarist Doris Ćosić premiering David’s Passacaglia (2024) for solo guitar in Bovec, Slovenia, and San Salvador, El Salvador.
Beyond the screen and concert hall, David has collaborated with dancers and choreographers to create culturally inspired and exploratory works. In 2023, he was commissioned to write Tornado (2023) for the Ebb and Flow Festival in collaboration with Heidi Duckler Dance. Earlier that year, he worked with dancers from the USC Kaufman School of Dance to create Presentation (2023), a work for dancers, guitar, and electronics. Most recently, David collaborated with Grete Gryzwana of Epiphany Dance on an improvisatory project emulating the sound of the Ancient Greek lyre.
As an advocate for the arts, David co-founded the Jazz on Main Street concert series in 2024 alongside conductor Alex Deng, bringing world-class jazz performances to the heart of Alhambra, CA. He also serves as the orchestra manager and contractor for the emerging San Gabriel Valley Symphony, where his commitment to arts administration is rooted in fostering equitable environments for musicians and platforming artists from underrepresented communities.
David’s passion for community building extends to education. He currently serves on the faculty of Salit Conservatory, a pre-college program, where he teaches Music Theory, Composition, and Classical Guitar.
Currently, David is pursuing a double major in Composition and Classical Guitar Performance at the University of Southern California, where he was awarded the USC Trustee Scholarship, a full-tuition merit scholarship. During his time at USC, he has studied composition with Donald Crockett, Ted Hearne, and Christopher Trapani; film composition with Patrick Kirst and Michael McQuiston; and counterpoint privately with Neal Desby. As a guitarist, he has studied under Scott Tennant and William Kanengiser, performing in masterclasses by Sergio Assad, João Luiz, Pepe Romero, and Paul O’Dette, and studied flamenco with Adam Del Monte. Additionally, he has studied jazz piano with Otmaro Ruiz and conducting under Larry Livingston. Before attending USC, David studied classical guitar and composition privately with Yalil Guerra.
Through his diverse creative endeavors, David Hernandez continues to push artistic boundaries while championing accessibility, equity, and innovation in the arts.
