Diego Román Martínez (born 1983) is a Mexican composer and biblical scholar. He studied music composition at Escuela Superior de Música in Mexico City. In 2006 he founded EL (Edicion Limitada) with violinist and composer Fumiko Puna and SPING Ensemble, formerly dedicated to performing his compositions. He also wrote Sustine (2007) for a dance composition of the same name developed by Gea Hernández. This early work explored graphic scores, improvisation, and complex instrumental and vocal timbre. It also explored the original concept of ‘environmental instrumental music’.
After questioning the contemporary music scene in Darmstadt Music Festival 2006 and an existential crisis in 2007, he encountered God. His work began to incorporate theology, contemporary drama, and music theater in the style of Mauricio Kagel. Nocturno (2007) for six female voices, Basura Krapp 3.5 (2007) for 4 actors and 5 instruments, and “Operetta” (2008) commissioned by Kwartludium Quartet, are examples of this approach. Unsatisfied with the “darkness” of his music, Roman retreated into theological reflection. He began to examine American minimalism, “sacred” minimalism, as well as ambient jazz, in search for a contemporary style that could embody positive emotions, such as hope, tenderness, love, and awe. The first composition in this new style was Psalm Suite (2010). He also began his theological research on artistic vocation for Christ-followers.
Becoming a member of Berith Presbyterian Church in Mexico City in 2009, and working there as a pianist and choir conductor until 2019, he explored how Christian community and liturgy could inform his understanding of music creation, work, audience, and meaning. He turned towards musical semiotics, cognitive approaches in music, philosophical and theological hermeneutics, and worldview thinking. He also began to use hybrid orchestration and modal harmony (both elements of contemporary film scoring). Machín! (2011), Bon Voyage quiere decir bien viajado (2011), and Mexcla II (2011) exemplify this approach.
EDEN Z (2012), featuring Fumiko Puna and Donovan Bernhardt, explored the intersection of Roman’s new theological hermeneutics and minimalist style with his early methods of improvisation, canon, and audio deconstruction. From 2013 to 2017, Roman temporarily left music composition to pursue social projects and church ministry. The exception was his Canon Mesmérico (2013) for 12 speakers, part of an art installation by Enrique Arriaga. During this period, he further developed his approach to composition based on biblical hermeneutics. The fruit of this research was Efesios (2017-18) for 12 instruments and 6 channel tape. Efesios is a musical reflection on Pauline new humanity. It appeals to the rhetorical effect of tropes in timbre, instrumental technique, melody, harmony, rhythm, and space to allow common believers to re-read the biblical epistle and experience it anew. SPING Ensemble premiered the work at Berith Presbyterian in 2019.
In 2018, Roman began to write a liturgical drama on the Book of Job for six instruments and electronics. This composition, projected to be 3.5 hours in length, was interrupted when he moved to the US to begin two Masters degrees: one in Divinity and the other in Historical Theology. During his studies, Roman continued his work on Job, and he began a series of shorter pieces for soloist and electronics based on the book of Psalms and his recent intercultural experiences. Examples from this period include Light Load (2021) for marimba and stereo track, Psalm 5 for flute and stereo track (2022), A Chilango in Escondido (2023) for trombone and stereo track, and Psalm 139 (2023) for clarinet and quadraphonic track. In 2023, he began a PhD in Biblical Studies, exploring imperial and gender metaphor in the books of Nahum and Habakkuk, in light of cartel violence and feminicidio in Mexico.
Roman’s conversion to Christianity has played a major role in his music, his relation to performers and audiences, his compositional process and style, as well as his understanding of life in general. However, some elements in his style have persisted. These include an interest in timbral, spatial, and textural complexity, the combination of electronic and acoustic sounds, and the search for an emotional impact on the listener.