Mikel Urquiza (1988, Bilbao) studies composition first at Musikene (San Sebastian) with Gabriel Erkoreka and Ramon Lazkano, then at the CNSM in Paris with Gérard Pesson and Stefano Gervasoni. In 2014 he follows the Royaumont Voix nouvelles program. In 2019-2020 he is first mentored by the Peter Eötvös Contemporary Music Foundation, then a fellow of the French Academy in Rome - Villa Medici. As a PhD student of the SACRe doctoral program, he focuses on the relation between music and memory.

His chamber music is widely performed in Europe : his piano trio Cinq pièges brefs is played, among others, by Meitar Ensemble, the New European Ensemble, United Instruments of Lucilin and mdi ensemble ; Pièges de neige, premiered by Trio Catch at Cologne Philharmonie is then performed in Berlin, Hamburg and the Maison de la Radio in Paris. Diotima Quartet plays Indicio at the Festival Pontino in Italy, the BBVA Foundation in Bilbao, Ensems Festival in Valencia, and Musikprotokoll in Graz.

He collaborates with French ensembles such as C Barré, L'Instant Donné, and the Ensemble Intercontemporain ; in Germany, he works with Trio Accanto, Ascolta, mosaik ensemble, and Musikfabrik. His music is performed as well at festivals such as Présences, ManiFeste, ECLAT, Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik, MATA New York, Gaudeamus Muziekweek, and the Venice Biennale.

Deeply linked to voice, he writes several song cycles, such as Alfabet, for Sarah Maria Sun, I nalt be clode on the frolt, for Marion Tassou, or Songs of Spam, for the Neue Vocalsolisten.

His piano piece Contrapluma has travelled along the ECHO network — from Amsterdam Concertgebouw to the Wiener Musikverein — and has been in the selection of piano competitions Ferruccio Busoni and Concours International d’Orléans.