Growing up with a folk music background, Angela Ortiz continues to be interested in music as a means of connecting with others. Holding a degree from Rutgers University, in the studio of Dr. Robert Livingston Aldridge, she has recently graduated as a master's candidate at Peabody Institute under the guidance of Professor Michael Hersch. As a composer Angela has focused on collaborations both interdisciplinary and purely musical. Most recently she has collaborated with ensembles such as the Parker Quartet in their visiting residency at Peabody this past September. She hopes to continue this collaborative spirit as a way of introducing different avenues of expression and extending these aspects of storytelling and communication to the wider community.