Brief History

Founded in 1961 by the Rockefeller Foundation, under the direction of distinguished composer and musicologist Juan Orrego-Salas, the Latin American Music Center is the oldest center of its kind in the United States. 

The LAMC fosters the academic study, performance, and research of Latin American art, popular, and traditional musics.  In partnership with the Cook Music Library, the center helps to manage one of the largest archives of 20th century Latin American art music in the world, which includes unpublished scores, original manuscripts, rare recordings, and a number of important special collections.

In addition to its archives and related library resources, the LAMC offers a series of free public concerts and guest lectures, sponsors courses and performance ensembles featuring Latin American music content, hosts visiting scholars and performers, produces its own recordings, and organizes periodic music competitions, festivals, and conferences. These activities are designed to promote the broad diversity of Latin American music at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music as well as the exchange of music, ideas and individuals between Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States.

Following the retirement of Juan Orrego-Salas in 1987, composer Ricardo Lorenz served as Acting Director between 1987 and 1992. For the next two decades, the LAMC was under the direction of Carmen Téllez, who served until 2012. Erick Carballo served as director between 2012 and 2014. Paul Borg was appointed interim coordinator of the Latin American Music Center in 2014. Since 2015, the Latin American Music Center has been under the direction of Javier F. León.