Manuel Rocha

http://www.artesonoro.net


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. 


Selected Works

Sendungen im ORF-Kunstradio

14. 07. 2013: El baño de Frida (Fridah's Bath)





BIOGRAPHIES