Mario Diaz de Leon (b. 1979 in St. Paul, MN) is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. Praised by the New York Times for their "hallucinatory intensity", his works for classical instruments and electronics have been performed in USA and Europe by ensembles such as ICE, Talea, iO Quartet, JACK Quartet, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, and Romania’s Hyperion Ensemble. He has performed, toured and recorded in many bands as a guitarist, and currently plays guitar in Mirrorgate, and is the vocalist and songwriter for Desert of Colors. His discography includes 3 releases on the Shinkoyo label, and a critically acclaimed CD of his chamber music on John Zorn's Tzadik label ("Best of 2009" - Time Out New York, Chicago Reader). He is a member of the Shinkoyo collective, founded in 2002, and has collaborated extensively with Shinkoyo members Severiano Martinez, Zeljko McMullen, and Doron Sadja. He helped run the West Nile performance space in Brooklyn (2006-2010). His collaborations with video artist Jay King have been exhibited at museums and galleries including PS1 (Greater New York 2005), D' Amelio Terras, James Cohan Gallery, Museo Reina Sofia (Madrid), and MUSAC (León). He is currently pursuing his doctorate in composition at Columbia University.