Colombian composer, Juan Antonio Cuéllar is the CEO of the National Symphony Orchestra and the National Symphonic Association of Colombia. 

He created with Mark Gillespie, from the Americas Orchestra, and Fernando Cortés, executive director of the Fundación Bolívar Davivienda, the Youth Colombian Philharmonic Orchestra in 2010. He has been Dean of the School of Arts and Director of the Masters of Music program at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá. While being the executive President of the Batuta National Foundation, Cuéllar worked alongside José Antonio Abreu, Venezuelan musician and founder of “El Sistema”. He has also been senior adviser of Fundación Azteca in Mexico and Fundación Bolívar Davivienda in Colombia.

Cuéllar completed his undergraduate studies at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. With support of a Fulbright Fellowship and the Indiana University Chancellor's Fellowship, he earned his masters and doctoral degrees in composition from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, as well as the Dean’s Prize in Composition in the year 2000. He was also honoured with the Fulbright Excellence Award in 2011, the 2012 “Exemplary Colombian” and the 2013 Portafolio Awards. Cuéllar was also declared in 2013 a “Distinguished Alumnus” of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

Since 1987 he has worked alongside producer Julio Reyes Copello, who has won numerous Grammy, Billboard and ASCAP awards, arranging, composing and orchestrating music for projects featuring Pablo Alborán, Brian May, Aitana, Alejandro Sanz, Alessia Cara, Andrés Calamaro, Camilo, David Bisbal, Joy, Juanes, Laura Pausini, Mau y Ricky, Melendi, Nathy Peluso, Rozalén, Sebastián Yatra and others. Cuéllar has also worked closely with Andrés Orozco-Estrada, recognized Colombian orchestral conductor, in recurring projects including the premier of his piece “Fanfarrias y Lamentos” in 2005. In 2017, Juan Antonio was commissioned by the Vatican to create the music for Pope Francis’ mass held in Bogotá which premiered before more than 1,300,000 people. He participated in the “Virtuosos'' gala in Budapest in 2019 as a member of the jury alongside Placido Domingo, Lang-Lang, Gergely Boganyi and Andrea Griminelli. Juan Antonio Cuéllar has had his music played by prestigious musicians like the grammy nominated Lincoln Trio (“Conversations”, 2015-2020), The American Composers Orchestra (“Tatambó”, 1999 in New York), the Ónix Ensemble (“Toros Desde la Barrera”), the Colombian National Symphony, the Bogotá Philharmonic, the Medellín Philharmonic, the Symphonic Band del Valle, the Cali Philharmonic, and the Prague Philharmonic among others.