Liza Figueroa Kravinsky

• Name — Liza Figueroa Kravinsky • Birth Name — Elizabeth Teopaco Figueroa • Born — 1962 • Birthplace — Summit, New Jersey, U.S. • Occupation — Composer, filmmaker, actress • Citizenship — USA • Education — Oberlin College • Notable Works — Co-founder of Art Palette Productions, Inc., Founder of the Go-Go Symphony • Spouse — Michael Kravinsky • Website — Go-Go Symphony

Kravinsky was born in Summit, New Jersey to Filipino immigrant parents. Her birth name is Elizabeth Teopaco Figueroa, with "Liza" as a nickname. Her father, Armando Borja Figueroa, was a medical doctor and her mother, Elnora Teopaco Figueroa, was a professional pianist and violinist. After moving to New York State, the Philippines, and northern Virginia; her family settled down in Fort Washington, Maryland where she grew up with her brother Kenneth Figueroa, now a medical doctor. She attended St. Stephens & St. Agnes School in Alexandria, Virginia; and Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio; where she studied music composition and theory. She is married to filmmaker and former ABC News video editor Michael Kravinsky.

Kravinsky composed and played keyboards for local pop, R&B, and go-go bands in the Washington DC area after she graduated from college. From 1988 to 1990, she toured with Motown recording artist Stacy Lattisaw; TRJ, a faction of go-go band Trouble Funk; and go-go band Pleasure. In 1991, she composed for, directed, and performed with Robin Power and the Uptown Dames, a Paisley Park project created by Prince. In 1994, she became an in-house composer at American Film and Video production company in Silver Spring, Maryland. While working in this company, she learned how to produce videos. In 1999, her song "New Little Girl" appeared on the "Octaves Beyond Silence" compilation album, along with songs by Eve Ensler, The Indigo Girls and Meshell Ndegeocello. In 2012, she composed the Go-Go Symphony, an innovative symphony that combines Washington DC's go-go dance beats with classical, jazz, and funk genres. She founded the Go-Go Symphony ensemble to perform it, along with other similar compositions; in partnership with full symphony orchestras, or as a stand-alone ensemble.