Arturo Cardelús

Arturo Cardelús (born 1981) is a Spanish-American composer of film and concert music. His scores for films Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles and Dragonkeeper have been nominated for Goya Awards. He became an American citizen in 2019. He studied at the Conservatorio Superior de Música (Salamanca, Spain), Royal Academy of Music, Franz Liszt Academy of Music, and Berklee College of Music.

In 2012, Cardelús orchestrated the score for the film The Paperboy. In 2017, Cardelús composed the soundtrack for the animated short In a Heartbeat, which went viral and attracted wide attention. The score won Best Original Score – Animated Short Film at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards.

In 2019, Cardelús scored the animated feature Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles. His music for the film won awards for best score at the 2019 Annecy International Animation Film Festival and the 2019 Málaga Film Festival. The score was also nominated for a Goya Award, a Feroz Award, and a Spanish Cinema Writers Circle Award for best original score and for a Hollywood Music in Media Award and an International Film Music Critics Association Award for best original score in an animated film.

In classical music, Cardelús attracted national attention for his 2013 composition Con Aire de Tango, which was commissioned by members of the Berlin Philharmonic after they saw a video of his work on YouTube. Two years later, Naxos Records released an album of Cardelús' compositions. In 2016, Cardelús was elected Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM). His work Grace was nominated for a 2017 Hollywood Music in Media Award in the category Contemporary Classical/Instrumental. Works by Cardelús have been performed in venues including Madrid's National Auditorium and Boston's Jordan Hall.

Cardelús lives and works in Los Angeles.

Nominated 2019 Hollywood Music in Media Awards Best Original Score – Animated Film Nominated 2021 Descendants: The Royal Wedding Hollywood Music in Media Awards Best Original Score – Animated Short Film Nominated 2022 Frida Kahlo: An Immersive Exhibition Hollywood Music in Media Awards Best Original Score – Exhibition

2023 Los Reyes Magos: La Verdad Hollywood Music in Media Awards Best Original Score – Independent Film (Foreign Language) Nominated

Hollywood Music in Media Awards Best Original Score – Animated film Nominated 2025 Goya Awards Best Original Score Pending