Biography
Events
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  BIOGRAPHY      
 

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. He receives the young composer commission of the Spanish Institute for Scene Arts and Music and he is invited by the French Academy in Rome to spend three months at Villa Medici. He is mentored by the Peter Eötvös Contemporary Music Foundation, together with Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne.

His catalogue consists mainly of chamber music pieces, such as Manual de vuelo del aeronauta inexperto, a wind quintet premiered by soloists of the Ensemble Intercontemporain, or Indicio, a string quartet played by Quatuor Diotima at the Festival Pontino, the BBVA Foundation in Bilbao, Ensems Festival in Valencia, and Musikprotokoll in Graz.

He has written vocal pieces based on poems by Paul Auster (White nights), Su Xiaoxiao (Sobre lo apenas entrevisto), Sappho - translated by Anne Carson - (More sweetly forgot), or inspired by classified advertisements found online (I nalt be clode on the frolt).

 

He works with French ensembles such as C Barré, exploring the timbre of plucked strings; L'imaginaire, developing a subtle writing for wind instruments, and, especially, L'Instant Donné, whose delicate approach to new music allows him to explore introspective themes, such as the fragility of memory in Les lueurs se sont multipliées or the violence of love gestures in Serpientes y escaleras (serenata) - premiered at Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik.

Outside France, ensemble mosaik and Enno Poppe premiered his Opus vermiculatum at the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid, then played the piece at the Berlin Kulturbrauerei; the New European Ensemble played his pieces at the Gaudeamus Muziekweek and the Amsterdam Muziekgebouw; MATA festival in New York programmed the American première of Belarretan, for guitar and electronics. His piano piece Contrapluma has travelled along the ECHO network, from BOZAR in Brussels to the Wiener Musikverein.

 

  
         
 
Musikene
CNSMDP
Budapest Music Center
Royaumont
Villa Medici
 
           
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EVENTS
    
     
 
Past events
  
2018
  
August
25

Cinq pièges brefs, piano trio

United instruments of Lucilin

San Sebastian Musical Fortnight
August
21

Cinco sólidos perfectos y una mariposa,

piano quintet (première)

Cosmos Quartet and Noelia Rodiles

San Sebastian Musical Fortnight
June
17

Opus latericium

for flute, saxophone, clarinet and piano (première)

Ensemble L'imaginaire / Strasbourg
June
3

Cinq pièges brefs, piano trio

Trio Talweg / Musique à la Ferme
May
25

Elurrretan, plucked string trio

C Barré / Eyragues
May
14 - 19

I nalt be clode on the frolt

for soprano and ensemble (broadcasting)

L'Instant Donné / France musique
May
1

Un lugar de Nueva Inglaterra

en el que nunca he estado,

for microtonal accordion

Iñaki Alberdi / Klingenthal
April
17

I nalt be clode on the frolt

for soprano and ensemble (recording)

Marion Tassou & L'Instant Donné
April
8

Cinq pièges brefs, piano trio

Ensemble N / Vienna
April
4

Un lugar de Nueva Inglaterra

en el que nunca he estado,

for microtonal accordion (première)

Iñaki Alberdi / Fundación Juan March, Madrid
March
22

Elurretan, plucked string trio

Ensemble C Barré / Toulon
March
1

Les lueurs se sont multipliées, for ensemble

New European Ensemble / Amsterdam
February
24

Elurretan, plucked string trio

C Barré Ensemble / Puyloubier
February
22

Opus vermiculatum, for ensemble

ensemble mosaik & Enno Poppe / Berlin
February
20

Cinq pièges brefs, piano trio

Trio Talweg / Pully
January
14

Ouverture française, for accordion

Vincent Lhermet / Mexico
2017
  
December
3 - 9

Artist residence

Ensemble L'imaginaire / Royaumont Abbey
October
18, 25

Esquisses d'échecs , for accordion

Mateja Zenzerovic (Ciklus ensemble)
October
26 - 28

Esquisses d'échecs , for accordion

Mateja Zenzerovic (Ciklus ensemble)
October
17

Esquisses d'échecs , for accordion

Mateja Zenzerovic / BKA Theater, Berlin
October
11

More sweetly forgot

on poems by Sappho/Carson (première)

Sarah Sun & C Barré / Nicosia
October
7

Indicio, string quartet

Quatuor Diotima / Musikprotokoll, Graz
October
6

Las olas, for string orchestra (première)

OLC / Paris
September
22

Elurretan, plucked string trio

C Barré Ensemble / Trets
August
7

Manual de vuelo del aeronauta inexperto

Odyssée wind quintet / Klasik Festival
August
5

Contrapluma, for piano

Matthieu Acar / Klasik Festival
July - August
31 & 1

Elurretan, plucked string trio

C barré Ensemble / Chaillol Festival
July
20

Elurretan, plucked string trio (première)

C barré Ensemble / Musique à la ferme
May
15

Contrapluma, for piano

Mariam Batsashvili / Barbican London
May
13

Manual de vuelo del aeronauta inexperto

Odyssée wind quintet / Paris
May
12

Indicio, string quartet

Diotima Quartet / Festival Ensems, Valencia
May
9

Indicio, string quartet

Diotima Quartet / BBVA Bilbao
April
27

Belarretan, guitar and electronics

Dan Lippel / MATA New York
April
19 & 21

Contrapluma, for piano

Mariam Batsashvili / Vienna & Barcelona
2016
March
26

Portrait concert

L'instant donné / La Marbrerie, Paris
March
20

Opus vermiculatum, for ensemble (première)

Mosaik Ensemble and Enno Poppe / Madrid
March
11

Contrapluma, for piano

Mariam Batsashvili / Konzerthaus Dortmund
New
CD

Carpere Fide(s), Bertrand Chavarría Aldrete

Containing Belarretan

for guitar and electronics
November
22

Ouverture française, for accordion

Vincent Lhermet

Chenereilles, Valladolid & Montreuil
Novembre
6

Contrapluma, for piano (première)

Mariam Batsashvili / Cologne Philharmonie
September
22

Belarretan, guitar and elctronics

SMASH Ensemble / Perm, Russia
July
22

Indicio, string quartet (première)

Diotima Quartet / Festival Pontino
July
16

Cinq pièges brefs, piano trio

Trio Talweg / Musicales de Préfailles
June
29

Isiltzen denak, for ensemble

Kuraia Ensemble / Palau de la Música, Valencia
June
7

Isiltzen denak, for ensemble

Kuraia Ensemble / BBVA Foundation, Bilbao
June
5

Cálculo de la caída, for violin and viola

Lee & Percevic / Fontainebleau
April
24

Serpientes y escaleras (serenata) (première)

L'Instant Donné / Witten
Mars
4

Ouverture française, for accordion

Fanny Vicens / Levin Hall, Oslo
February
21

Ikusia ikusirik, for orchestra (première)

Musikene orchestra, Arturo Tamayo

Saint Sebastian
January
23

Cinq pièges brefs, piano trio

Trio Talweg / Les Diablerets, Switzerland
January
9

Ouverture française, for accordion

Fanny Vicens / Limoges
2015
December
9

Cálculo de la caída, violin and viola (première)

DAI Contemporain, CNSMDP
November
16

Isiltzen denak, for ensemble

Kuraia Ensemble / Bilbao
November
10

Belarretan, guitar and electronics

Bertrand Chavarría / Salamanca
November
1

Cinq pièges brefs, piano trio

Trio Talweg / Geneva
October
14

Isiltzen denak, for ensemble (première)

Kuraia Ensemble / Saint Sebastian
October
9

Belarretan, guitar and electronics

Bertrand Chavarría, Projecte Rafel, Valencia
October
3

Belarretan, guitar and electronics

Bertrand Chavarría, Saint Sebastian
September
12

Cinq pièges brefs, piano trío

New European Ensemble

Gaudeamus Muziekweek
August
27

Manual de vuelo del aeronauta inexperto

Lucerne Festival Academy
June
28

Les lueurs se sont multipliées

for ensemble (première)

L'Instant Donné / Festival Format Raisins
March
24

Sobre lo apenas entrevisto

mezzo / guit / acc / perc, (création)

Smash Ensemble/ BBVA Foundation Bilbao

March
4

Esquisses d'échecs : Ouverture française

for accordion

Vincent Lhermet / CNSMDP
February
4

Manual de vuelo del aeronauta inexperto

wind quintet (première)

Ensemble Intercontemporain / Paris
2014
  
December
13-19

Maudits les Innocents (Acte1) - Première

CNSMDP and Paris National Opera

Amphithéâtre Bastille
December
18

Esquisses d'échecs : Tour blanche, accordion

Ander Tellería / University of Valladolid
November
21

Cinq pièges brefs, piano trio

Trio Talweg, Saint Sebastian
October
16

Esquisses d'échecs : Ouverture française,

for accordion

Vincent Lhermet / La Défense
October
15

Esquisses d'échecs : Ouverture française,

for accordion (première)

Vincent Lhermet / Opéra de Lille

September
28

White nights

soprano and string quartet (première)

Sarah Sun and Quatuor Diotima / Royaumont

   
September
11

Assur, for clarinet, accordion and cello

E. Iriarte, A. Tellería and E. Ayllón / Zarautz
   
September
6

Orduko orbainak, piano

Wilhem Latchoumia / Bagatelles, Paris
   
July
29

Belarretan, guitar and electronics

Bertrand Chavarría / Rosiers-d'Églentons
   
June
21

Eskudantza

six musicians with no instruments

Ciklus ensemble / Saint Sebastian (Première)
   
May
23

Table ronde at festival Artes [h]oy

Cervantes Institute in Paris
   
May
20

Cinq pièges brefs, piano trio

Trio Talweg / Temple Saint-Marcel, Paris
   
April
1

Belarretan, guitar and electronics

Bertrand Chavarría-Aldrete / Nave73, Madrid

   
March
7

Belarretan

for guitar and electronics (première)

Bertrand Chavarría-Aldrete / Paris
   
January
8

Sturnus

txistu and accordion (première)

Duo KEtan / Euskaldunal, Bilbao
 
2018  
October
13

Contrapluma, for piano

Gilles Grimaître / Schloss Heiligenberg
   
October
16

Cinq pièges brefs, piano trio

mdi ensemble / Milan
   
November
3

Belarretan, for guitar and electronics

Bertrand Chavarría-Aldrete / Vitoria
   
November
15

Cinq pièges brefs, piano trio

Trio Talweg / Conservatoire de Nantes
   
2019  
February
19

Pièges de neige

clarinet-cello-piano trio (première)

Trio Catch / Kölner Philharmonie
   
February
27

New work

string orchestra (première)

Danubia Orchestra & Heinz Holliger / BMC
   
April
28

Contrapluma, for piano

Jonathan Powell / Oxford
   

 

 

 
CATALOGUE
  
 
 
  Chamber music    
       
 

Les lueurs se sont multipliées

septet - 2015

[fl, cl, perc, pno, vn, va, vc]

Duration: 12'

Comissioned by the Format Raisins Festival

Première : L'Instant Donné, La Charité-sur Loire

Isiltzen denak

septet - 2015

[fl, cl, perc, pno,, guit, vn, vc]

Duration: 5'

Commissioned by the Mikel Laboa Chair

Première : Kuraia, San Sebastian

Serpientes y escaleras (serenata)

sextet - 2016

[hp, pno, perc, vn, va, vc]

Duration: 10'

Commissioned by the WDR

Première : L'Instant Donné, Witten

Opus vermiculatum

nonet - 2017

[fl, ob, cl, sax, perc, pno, vn, va, vc]

Duration: 12'

Comissioned by the CNDM

Première : mosaik ensemble & Enno Poppe
 
 

Cinq pièges brefs

piano trio - 2012

[vln, vc, pno]

Duration: 7'40

Première : DAI Contemporain, Paris

Elurretan

plucked string trio - 2017

[mand, guit, hp]

Commissioned by C Barré, Musique à la Ferme & Festival de Chaillol

Duration: 10'

Première : C Barré, Musique à la Ferme

Indicio

string quartet - 2016

[vln, vln, a, vc]

Commissioned by the Quatuor Diotima

Duration: 16'

Première : Quatuor Diotima, Festival Pontino

Manual de vuelo

del aeronauta inexperto

wind quintet - 2015

[fl, ob, cl, horn, bsn]

Duration: 6'

Première : Ensemble Intercontemporain Soloists, Paris
 
           
  Orchestra music        
           
 
a

Las olas

string orchestra - 2017

[6.5.4.4.2]

Duration: 10'

Première:

Orchestre des Lauréats du Conservatoire

cond. Peter-Jelle de Boer, Paris
a

Ikusia ikusirik

orchestra - 2016

[3.3.3.3 - 4.3.3.1- 3perc - ac.cel.harp - strings]

Duration: 6'30

Première: Musikene Orchestra, cond. Arturo Tamayo, Saint Sebastian

a

Erio

orchestra - 2011

[ 2.1.2.1-2.1.1-2 perc-harp-strings]

Duration: 9'

Première: Basque National Orchestra, cond. Nacho de Paz, Saint Sebastian

   
           
  Solo music        
           
 
a

Belarretan

guitar and electronics - 2014

Duration: 6'

Première : Bertrand Chavarría-Aldrete, Paris

a

Contrapluma

piano - 2016

Duration: 6'

Commissioned by BOZAR & ECHO

Première : Mariam Batsashvili, Cologne
a

Ouverture française

accordion - 2014

Duration : 3'

Première: Vincent Lhermet, Lille Opera

@Klarthe Editions
a

Un lugar de Nueva Inglaterra en el que nunca he estado

microtonal accordion - 2018

Duration: 4'

Première : Iñaki Alberdi, Fundación Juan March (Madrid)
 
           
  Vocal music        
           
 
a

White nights

soprano and string quartet - 2014

Poems by Paul Auster

Duration: 11'

Voix nouvelles Royaumont

Première : Sarah Sun et Quatuor Diotima, Royaumont
a

Sobre lo apenas entrevisto

mezzo / guit / acc / perc - 2015

Poems by Su Xiao-Xiao

Duration: 12'

Commissioned by the BBVA Foundation

Première: Ensemble Smash, Bilbao
a

More sweetly forgot

sopr / sax / acc / perc - 2017

Poems by Sappho / Carson

Duration: 12'

Commissioned by ensemble C barré

Première: Sarah Sun & C barré

at Pharos Foundation, Nicosia
a

I nalt be clode on the frolt

soprano & ensemble - 2018

[sopr, fl, ob, cl, hp, pno, perc, vl, va, vc]

Duration: 12'

Commissioned by Radio France

Première: Marion Tassou & L'Instant Donné

 
           
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