AJ Francisco (b. 2000) is a Filipino-American composer based in New York City who fuses the styles and concepts of Western and traditional Filipino music and creates narratives that engage audiences in new perspectives. Through her music and subject matter, she challenges audiences to reflect on themselves and the world around them. She also seeks to encourage dialogue regarding the Filipino identity in Contemporary music and beyond, and how the various historical and cultural aspects of Filipino culture can be combined to create new and empowering ideas.

Francisco is a recipient of the ASCAP Foundation Bart Howard Fund honorarium, and she was awarded Honorable Mention in the National Association for Music Education’s Student Composers Competition for her art song “My life closed twice before its close”. She also won the Old Dominion University Young Artists Competition with her string orchestra piece “Matakot.” Francisco has had works performed by several ensembles across the Eastern United States, including the Rhythm Method, Contemporaneous, and Hub New Music. Her music has also been featured in The Global Cello series. Francisco has participated in several music festivals across the globe, including CAMPGround, precept.concept.percept, and ICEBERG Institute. Francisco is a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society. She is pursuing a Master’s in Music Theory and Composition at New York University and holds a Bachelor’s in Music Composition from Old Dominion University. Her composition mentors include Shelley Washington, Ezequiel Viñao, Stephen Coxe, and Adolphus Hailstork.