José Venditti

Composer

Collaborations with LACDC: ECHOES (2024) | Watch the Film | Behind-The-Music

José Venditti is a composer, and sound and visual artist based in Madrid. His work explores
the boundaries of musical social constructs, confronting the familiar and comprehensible
with the unknown and abstract, creating tensions through these sonic clashes.

Using sound as his primary creative material, José’s practice spans live performance, music
and sound composition, sonic actions, and live-cinema. He places particular emphasis on
the origin and processing of the sound sources he uses, challenging the dichotomies
between organic and mechanical, analog and digital, natural and artificial, real and fiction.

José plays the saxophone, working with its sound through the deconstruction of classical
patterns, exploring new sonic aesthetics by blending digital processing with electronic
instruments and synthesizers.

He has released various works on labels such as Audiotalaia, Crystal Mine, and Autoplacer,
and co-directs the studio/office Coro.

José has presented his works and artistic projects at international events and venues including Performa 2021 NYC, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid), MACBA (Barcelona), Heritage Space Hanoi (Vietnam), Sonic Dreams Festival (Ireland), Festival Internacional de Arte Sonoro de Montevideo(Uruguay), Museo de la Memoria de Montevideo (Uruguay), Teatros del Canal, Centro Botín (Santander), Espacio Fundación Telefónica (Madrid), SEMINCI Valladolid, and PlatoHedro Medellín (Colombia).

*Headshot by Álvaro Manof

After 20 years of artistic creation and community engagement, L.A. Contemporary Dance concludes its journey as an organization as of January 9, 2026.

Founded to showcase dance in Los Angeles, LACDC evolved into a home for collective artistry where performances were crafted by choreographers and dancers alongside playwrights, composers, designers, filmmakers, photographers, stage managers, technicians — an incredible team whose imaginative work gave shape and emotional depth to our repertory. These collaborations brought contemporary dance to life in ways that were bold, explorative, expressive, and accessible.

Through live events, digital experiences, and educational programming, LACDC cultivated environments rooted in curiosity, belonging, and learning without judgment. The organization consistently asked how contemporary dance might better reflect and serve the community around it, valuing discovery over mastery and process alongside performance.

This vision was made possible thanks to the creativity and leadership of our Artistic Directors, Executive Directors, Managing Directors, and Company Staff:

Artistic Leadership

Kate Hutter Mason — Artistic Director & Co-founder (2005–2015)
Genevieve Carson — Artistic Director (2016–2020)
Jamila Glass — Artistic Director (2021–2025)

Executive & Managing Leadership

Michelle Jolly — Executive Director & Co-founder (2005–2009)
Lauren Dragicevich — Managing Director (2009–2013)
Eva Angeloff — Managing Director (2013–2018)
Napoleon Gladney — Executive Director (2019–2025)

We are profoundly grateful to all who have left their fingerprints on the organization. This work would not have been possible without the support of our board members, donors, producers, presenters, community partners, volunteers, students, audiences, friends, and family — all who believed in this work. You made it possible.

While LACDC as an organization is closing, the values we cultivated continue forward through the relationships formed here and in all of you.

To anyone considering starting a company or pursuing a dream project — do it. Start now. Don’t wait for the opportunity; be the opportunity. We need your voice and creative work more than ever.

Thank you for being part of this extraordinary journey.

L.A. Contemporary Dance
(2005–2025)