Biography
He writes unusually imaginative music—clearly structured, moving, and densely constructed—aiming to touch the soul and the deepest emotions. Fascination with the relationship between humans and technology is a key element in many of his works, which explore both the philosophical and technological aspects of the 21st century—an era of profound transformation leading to a new generation. In this context, he developed the Cybersinging technique, combining traditional instruments with technology. This approach was introduced in his symphonic work Cyborg (Staatskapelle Weimar, Detroit Symphony Orchestra) in 2010, garnering significant interest.
His work Human Brother for soprano and orchestra (commissioned in 2019 by L’Auditori de Barcelona), in collaboration with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), opened the 2019/20 season of the OBC Orchestra at L'Auditori de Barcelona under the baton of Kazushi Ono, making it one of the first symphonic works in music history created in collaboration with artificial intelligence.
His repertoire includes commissioned works for orchestra, chamber music, ballet, opera, and visual arts. His symphonic works have been performed internationally by over 50 orchestras, including the Gewandhausorchester, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, DRP Saarbrücken-Kaiserslautern, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Orquestra OBC, and Beijing Symphony Orchestra, among others. These performances have been led by conductors such as Leonard Slatkin, Kazushi Ono, Christoph Poppen, Hannu Lintu, and Karl-Heinz Steffens. (See complete performers list).
(Foto: Quim Roser)
In the 2024/25 season, he is a featured composer at the Beethovenfest Bonn with Trinity, a triple concerto for violin, cello, piano, and orchestra, commissioned by the Sitkovetsky Trio and performed by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony under the baton of Ivan Repušić. Other highlights of the season include the Asian premiere of Solaria for orchestra (Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Christoph Poppen) and a performance of his symphonic work Cyborg by the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, conducted by Leonard Slatkin, who also led its U.S. and Spanish premieres in 2013 and 2020.
In the 2023/24 season, Focs d’artifici (a percussion concerto that has been performed worldwide 49 times since its 2008 premiere) is performed by Vanessa Porter with the DSO-Berlin under Adam Hickox at the Philharmonie Berlin. The work also receives its Turkish premiere and a performance in Nuremberg with Kai Strobel (percussion) and the Nürnberger Symphoniker under Gordon Hamilton.
Additionally, this season features the world premiere of Metaverse III for orchestra (commissioned by SGAE-Orquesta de Córdoba) under Pablo Rus, the Polish premiere of Binary for two pianos, and the world premiere of his chamber opera Eliza (commissioned by the Gran Teatre del Liceu) under Irene Delgado-Jiménez, which received outstanding reviews.
In the 2022/23 season, he was Composer in Residence at the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona.
He studied piano, violin, singing, and music theory at the Conservatori Superior de Música de Barcelona, where he obtained his Artistic Diploma in piano and music theory in 1999, receiving honorable mentions in Piano, Harmony, Counterpoint, and Fugue. He later pursued studies in Composition (with Prof. Dr. hc Dieter Acker) and Composition for Film and Television (with Prof. Dr. Enjott Schneider) at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, where he completed his Master’s degree in Composition in 2006, supported by a "La Caixa-DAAD" scholarship.
His symphonic work Big Data (commissioned by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra) was selected in 2017 for the Prince Pierre de Monaco Composition Prize and in 2018 for the Young Musicians Favourite Choice.
In 2001, he won 1st Prize at the Reinl Composition Competition with his trio Escenes for flute, cello, and piano. He has been invited as a jury member for the 1st International Composition Competition Voice of China (Beijing, 2013) and as composer in residence at the International Chamber Music Festival Sommersprossen (2010 and 2013, Rottweil, Germany). His project Urban Surround was selected by the Joan Miró Foundation for the 2008/09 season.
Since 2008, his works have been published by Boosey & Hawkes / Sikorski Berlin.