About

Felipe Téllez is a Colombian-Canadian, BIPOC media composer. Recently he composed on the Canadian-Nigerian production Orah, which was selected for TIFF 2023 and the film US-Canadian Tomorrow, which recently premiered in California’s Cinequest Festival 2023. Felipe’s unique style merges modern electronics, traditional folk from Colombia, and a classical symphonic approach. Recently he orchestrated for Hubert Davis’ award winning documentary Black Ice, and did music copying and conducting on Brother (14 CSA nominations in 2023). Both projects had gala premieres at TIFF 2022. He recently finished composing additional music on director JB Sugar’s Faith Heist 2. In addition to these recent projects, he was the copyist and additional orchestrator for Mike Post (Law and Order) on his double album, currently in post production. Felipe was responsible for providing sheet music for the 80-piece orchestra which recorded at the Sony stage in LA in October 2022 under the baton of Mike Post. This was the same ensemble that John Williams contracts — they were recording Indiana Jones 5 that same week!

In fall 2022 Felipe created the Toronto based Canadian Studio Symphony, an orchestra dedicated to media music and new works.

In the past, he has composed for the Bogotá Philharmonic, the Colombian National Symphony Orchestra, and Canadian Studio Symphony, among others. He has also recorded and conducted his film music with The Budapest Art Orchestra and at Abbey Road Studios in London. Additionally, he is a recipient of multiple Canadian government arts grants from institutions such as the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario and Toronto Arts Councils, as well as awards from the Toronto Arts Foundation.

He has also with the Canadian duo Whitehorse in their Winter 2018 Christmas album, which was nominated for a Juno in 2019. In 2021 he released his chamber music album -Songs of Longing- for string quartet and piano quintet. As a result of Songs of Longing, Felipe established a working relationship with renowned Canadian violinist Lynn Kuo (Assistant Concertmaster at the Canadian Ballet), which led to the creation of the Canadian Studio Symphony in 2022, and the album Evocations.

His orchestration and conducting work is featured in multiple films, including Backstabbing for Beginners (Theo James & Ben Kingsley), Sweetness in the Belly (Dakota Fanning), and the documentary My Enemy My Brother. These soundtracks were recorded in collaboration with the Prague Symphony and Smecky Music Studios in the Czech Republic, as well as local Toronto performers. He has also served as orchestrator for Shadow of the Tomb Raider live concert performance.

Felipe is determined to pass on what he has learned through the years, and is an active mentor with the Toronto Arts Council’s Newcomer and Refugee Artist Mentorship Program, and currently holds teaching posts at the University of Toronto, Sheridan, and Centennial.