Born in 1963 in Mexico City.
Manuel Rocha Iturbide studies composition at the Escuela Nacional de
Música in the University of Mexico. He studies an MFA in
electronic music and composition in Mills College, Oakland California,
with Alvin Curran, Anthony Braxton, David Rosenboom and Larry Polansky
(1991). In Paris, he takes a one-year course in composition and
computer music at IRCAM, where he studies with Bryan Fernyhough
(1991-92). In 1992 he starts his doctoral thesis on “Granular
synthesis techniques” with Horacio Vaggione at the University of
Paris VIII. In 1993 he wins a grant from the Mexican cultural
foundation to compose three electroacustic pieces. In France, he works
at studios UPIC, GRM and IRCAM to produce works. He worked as a
researcher at IRCAM developing GiST (1994-95) and later as a professor
at the University of Paris VIII where he taught synthesis and computer
programming (1995-96). In 1996 and 1997 he waned two mentions at the
Bourges Electronic Music Contest (instruments and electronics, and tape
music) and in 2006 he received the first prize (in tape program music)
and in 1996 and 1997 he won the second prize at the Russolo Electronic
Music Contest in the category of composition for instruments and
electronics and tape alone. He has been invited to different
international conferences to present his work (The tuning of the world,
1993; The biennial of art and technology, Connecticut 1994; ICMC 1995,
1996, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2006) and to electronic music festivals such as
ABSOLUTE MUSIK in Austria, Experimental Intermedia in USA, Puddles in
Japan, VAE from Perú etc. He has received commissions from the
Festival Internacional Cervantino, Arditti string quartet and other
venues, and has received artistic grants such as Jovenes Creadores from
FONCA and the Banff Center for the arts. Besides composing, he is an
active sound artist and has created sound installations, sound
sculptures and intermedia art works presented at important
international galleries and museums such as Artists Space in NY NY, the
Crousel gallery in Paris, the 1998 Sidney Biennial in Australia, the
ARCO art fair in Madrid Spain, SURGE gallery in Tokyo, Kyoto Art Center
in Kyoto, Avatar in Quebec Canada, etc. His music has been played
through the American, European and Asian continents. In 2000 Rocha
spent 7 months in Japan with a Japan Foundation Fellowship where he
composed new pieces and worked on sound installations. In 2001 he
founded the radio art workshop LEAS in Radio Educación in Mexico
City. He did a two-month residency in Caracas Venezuela with a grant in
order to compose a radio artwork. He is co-founder of the
international sound art festival in Mexico City (1999-2002) and was a
member of the SNC grant system in Mexico (2004-2007 and 2009-2010).
Manuel Rocha Iturbide lives currently in Mexico City, where he works as
composer and sound artist.
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