Composer Claudia Montero wrote music rooted in South American traditional genres. She was a popular figure at the Latin Grammy Awards in the U.S. A skilled pianist, Montero premiered many of her own works. Her works often drew on South American traditional music and were commissioned by a wide variety of orchestras, soloists, and chamber ensembles. Montero was richly honored at the Latin Grammy Awards, winning Best Contemporary Classical Composition in 2014, 2016, and 2018 and Best Classical Album in 2018 for Mágica y misteriosa. Montero died in Valencia on January 16, 2021. Several of Montero's compositions have been recorded, including, in 2023, her Suite de los Buenos Aires para piano y flauta on a recording by flutist Tanja Esther von Arx and pianist Natalia González Figueroa.