Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

XXXX Reina Sofia Prize in Music Competition

JAVIER QUISLANT GARCÍA

Javier Quislant was born in Bilbao in 1984 and received his first musical training in piano and music theory at the Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga Conservatory, in his hometown, under the guidance of Agustín Vergara, Olatz Ayastui and Carmen Calzada. His first contact with composition was through the analysis courses by composer Maria Eugenia Luc. In 2006, after following Gabriel Erkoreka’s advice, he began to study music composition with composer and conductor Margarita Lorenzo de Reizabal. He moved to Barcelona in 2007, where he studied the bachelor’s degree in Composition with Agustín Charles at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC). He also studied under and received advice from composers Mauricio Sotelo and Aureliano Cattaneo. In 2011 he moved to Graz (Austria) to study the master’s degrees in Music Composition and Music Theater Composition under composer Beat Furrer at the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Graz, finishing both with honors. In 2016 he took part in the ManiFeste Festival, in Paris, organized by the IRCAM, with the works “In praesentia” and “Two pieces for orchestra”, premiered by the Ensemble Intercontemporain and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. In 2017 he made his debut at the Wien Modern festival (Vienna) and obtained the Musikförderungs Preis der Stadt Graz (Composition Prize of the City of Graz). In 2018 he was awarded the Music Composition Prize of the Colegio de España en París y del INAEM; and his first chamber opera, “Mirada antigua (Stimmtheater – teatro de la voz)” was premiered within the Oper der Zukunft (opera of the future) project, sponsored by the Graz Opera and the Kunst Universität Graz. In 2019, AEOS and the SGAE Foundation commissioned the composition of “Tiempo silente”, which premiered in April 2022, the season of the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra’s (Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa BOS) 100th anniversary, under the baton of Erik Nielsen. In 2020, “Entra la aurora en el jardín”, a work commissioned by the ensemble recherche (Freiburg, Germany) and the Frakzionen Festival, was premiered and received the Franz Schubert und die Musik der Moderne composition prize (Graz, Austria). In 2020, he was selected as a music fellow by the Real Academia de España en Roma and received the 2020 Leonardo Grant for Cultural Creators and Researchers awarded by the BBVA Foundation. Working on both projects at the same time, for Rome he composed “Sinuoso tiempo. Ciclo para cuarteto de cuerda”, premiered by the string quartet of the Klangforum Wien; and for the Leonardo Grant he composed “Espacio en penumbra (tres obras para ensemble)”, which premiered at the ORF Radiokulturhaus (Vienna), also performed by the Klangforum Wien under the baton of Bas Wiegers. The Sociedad Filarmónica de Badajoz and the Centro Nacional de Difusión Musical/INAEM commissioned the work “An der Schwelle”, performed by the Ensemble LUX:NM (Berlin) for the first time in October 2021, within the XII Ciclo de Música Actual de Badajoz and the CNDM season, in the Auditorium 400 of the Museo Reina Sofía. One of his main artistic interests is to explore sound in relation to literature and film.

XXXIX Reina Sofia Prize in Music Competition

NURIA NÚÑEZ

Andalusian composer Nuria Núñez wins the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with the work “Enjambres”, selected by a jury made up of Baldur Brönnimann, Carlos Fontcuberta, Octavi Rumbau, Jesús Rueda and presided over by Marcela Rodríguez. Throughout her career Núñez has received several awards, such as the First Prize and Audience Award of the Orchestral Composition Competition of the 15th Weimar Spring Festival, the Rome Prize awarded by the German Academy of Arts (Villa Massimo/Casa Baldi) or the First Prize of the Autor-CNDM Foundation. She has also been a resident composer at the Spanish Academy in Rome, the Thomas Mann-Villa Aurora (Los Angeles), the Spanish National Youth Orchestra and the Thüringer Landesmusikakademie (Sondershausen). Her repertoire includes chamber music as well as orchestral works and stage works for children performed by ensembles such as the Ensemble Intercontemporain (FR), the Ensemble Ascolta (DE), Studio for New Music Ensemble of Moscow (RU) or Taller Sonoro (ES), and orchestras such as the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Jenaer Philarmonie, the National Youth Orchestra of Spain, the Seville Symphony Orchestra, or the Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra.

XXXVI Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

JUAN CRUZ-GUEVARA

Composer Juan Cruz-Guevara won the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Pictogram”, selected by a jury made up of Bruno Dozza, Javier Arias Bal, Dimitri Loos, Jesús Rueda and Luís Tinoco. Cruz-Guevara had previously been awarded more than 15 composition prizes, and his works have been performed by the Spanish National Orchestra, the RTVE Symphony Orchestra and the Community of Madrid Orchestra, among others.

PLAY «PICTOGRAMA»

XXXIII Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

FRANCISCO MARTÍN QUINTERO

Composer Francisco Martín Quintero won the thirty-third Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Orografía Sonora”, based on two stories by Marguerite Yourcenar. Martín Quintero defines the winning score as a “very aesthetic, contemporary and atonal work, full of emotion and imagination at the same time, and closely related to literature”. It was originally written for the XXIX Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition, but was later improved until it was submitted to the XXXIII edition. On the day of the premiere, Martín Quintero complimented the orchestra and confessed that seeing his music performed “couldn't be more rewarding”.

PLAY «OROGRAFÍA SONORA»

XXX Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

EUNHO CHANG

Composer Eunho Chang won the thirtieth Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Fantasia luminosité”, for violin and orchestra. The jury that selected the winning work was made up of Hong-Jun Seo, Tomás Garrido, Martín Matalón, Jesús Rueda and Joan Guinjoan.

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XXVII Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

GIOVANNI BONATO

Italian composer Giovanni Bonato won the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Dar Gaist is heüte both” [“The Holy Spirit Comes Today”], written for symphony orchestra and choir. The winning work is a tribute to the culture of the Asiago region in Italy, a mountainous area near Venice. The score is inspired by a popular prayer and combines sacred and profane elements.

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XXIV Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

RAMON HUMET

Composer Ramon Humet won the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Escenas de pájaros”. Humet studied under Joan Guinjoan, Josep Soler and Jonathan Harvey. In addition to the Reina Sofia Prize, he has won the Joaquín Rodrigo Prize, the Villa de Madrid Prize and the Mostly Modern Prize. In the winning piece, each instrument has its own autonomy, which makes the counterpoint more complex. We also recognize several birds along the three movements, in an effort by the author to balance intuition and reflection. Cristóbal Halffter, president of the jury, defends the Reina Sofia Prize’s role in highlighting the importance of composers.

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XXI Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

MASSIMO BOTTER

Composer Massimo Botter won the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Les algues”. Up to one hundred and twenty-eight scores were received from all over the world in the twenty-first edition of the competition, which once again showed the importance of the Prize in the contemporary music scene. The jury was made up of Jesús Villa Rojo, Miguel Ángel Coria, Mario Gosálvez, David del Puerto, Jesús Rueda and Jesús Torres. Percussion instruments are particularly important in this winning piece: they are distributed in such a way as to enhance the spatial effects of the whole experience.

PLAY «LES ALGUES»

XVIII Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

MAURICIO SOTELO

Composer Mauricio Sotelo won the eighteenth Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Si después de morir…”, for flamenco singer and orchestra, based on a poem by José Ángel Valente. The work competed with thirty-nine other scores evaluated by a jury made up of Alfredo Aracil, José Peris, Adrián Cobo, Jesús Torres and Miguel Ángel Coria. For the first time, the winning piece was directly inspired by Spanish folklore and includes flamenco sounds in a score reminiscent of Renaissance polyphony. Sotelo was a student of composer Luigi Nono, who advised him to investigate the roots of Spanish culture.

PLAY «SI DESPUÉS DE MORIR...»

XV Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

FRANCISCO JOSÉ MARTÍN JAIME

26-year-old composer Francisco José Martín Jaime won the fifteenth edition of the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Klavierkonzert”, his first work to be published and performed. The jury was made up of composers Claudio Prieto, Francisco Cano, Carlos Cruz de Castro, Albert Llanas (winner of the previous edition) and Miguel Ángel Coria. Martín Jaime declared that he felt honored to premiere his work in a competition where figures such as Lutoslawski, Montsalvatge, José Luis Turina and Guinjoan had also been awarded.

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XII Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

VICTOR REBULLIDA

Composer Victor Rebullida won the twelfth Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “In Memoriam”.

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IX Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

SALVADOR BROTONS

Catalan composer Salvador Brotons won the ninth edition of the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Virtus, opus 53”. Previously awarded and recognized on several occasions, Brotons won the Prize during his residency as Assistant Conductor at the University of Florida. Critics emphasized the composer’s independence of mind and his composing at the service of solid ideas, without being influenced by fashion or trends.

PLAY «VIRTUS OP. 53»

VI Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

AGUSTÍ CHARLES SOLER

Catalan composer Agustí Charles Soler won the sixth edition of the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Iunxi” (Union). A student of renowned composers such as Liliane Maffiotti and Carles Guinovart, Charles Soler had already won several awards before the Reina Sofia Prize. “Iunxi” steers clear of the Central European tradition, aligns with the latest trends and clashes with critics.

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III Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

WITOLD LUTOSLAWSKI

Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski won the third edition of the Prize with his Cello Concerto. Lutoslawski, who would later gain international recognition, is a strong supporter of melody: “Although some generations have underestimated it, I believe it’s paramount. Melody is what makes the work stronger. It’s important to find a melody for our times”.

PLAY «CONCIERTO PARA VIOLONCHELO Y ORQUESTA»

XXXVIII Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

OCTAVI RUMBAU

Catalan composer Octavi Rumbau wins the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with the work “El Belvedere de Escher”, for piano and orchestra, selected by a jury made up of Alfredo Rugeles, Ernest Martínez-Izquierdo, Carlos Fontcuberta and Jesús Rueda, and presided over by Marcela Rodríguez. Rumbau’s recent work focuses on the search for new sound spaces in the interaction between instruments and electronics, as well as delving into the plasticity of musical time and its paradoxes. He has received several awards, such as the Frederic Mompou International Prize, the Dolors Calvet i Prat Composition Competition Prize; the Colegio de España and Instituto de las Artes Escénicas y de la Música (INAEM) Prize, the grant for creators offered by the Phonos Foundation and the Berliner Opernpreis. His works have been performed at several venues and festivals across Europe and North America.

PLAY «EL BELVEDERE DE ESCHER»

XXXII Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

MIQUEL OLIU

Miquel Oliu Nieto, a composer from Barcelona, won the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with «Alegorías de otoño», selected by a jury made up of James Clarke, Joan Magrané, Francisco Coll, Jesús Rueda and Hilda Paredes. Oliu studied piano with Antoni Besses and Frédéric Gevers, and composition with Agustí Charles.

PLAY «ALEGORÍAS DE OTOÑO»

XXXV Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

JUAN DURAN

Galician composer Juan Duran won the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Whispers in the Dark”, selected by a jury made up of Martín Matalón, David del Puerto, Antonio Lauzurika, Jesús Rueda and Michael Thomas. Many consider Duran to be one of the most internationally acclaimed composers, and his works have been performed by some of the greatest figures of the current music scene, such as Juanjo Mena, Pietro Rizzi, Alejandro Posada, etc.

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XXIX Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

HONG-JUN SEO

Korean composer Hong-Jun Seo won the twenty-ninth Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Mandala”. The jury that selected the winning work was made up of Alfredo Aracil, Konstantia Gourzi, Tansy Davies, Hermes Luaces and Jesús Rueda. Up to 249 scores were submitted to this edition of the Prize. Hong-Jun Seo studied in South Korea, the United States and Germany. He was awarded the first prize of the XIV Romanian Young Musicians Competition and received the honorable mention of the Frederic Mompou International Prize.

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XXVI Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

JAE-MOON LEE

Korean composer Jae-Moon Lee won the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Seven days / Stained Glass / Mirror”, selected by a jury made up of José Manuel López, Mercedes Zavala and two former winners of the Prize: Jesús Torres and Israel David Martínez Espinosa. In the words of Jesús Rueda, the members of the jury want to “support young talents and the risky choices made by the new generations in the world of composition”. Jae-Moon Lee defines the winning work as a combination of the horizontal nature of western pieces and the vertical nature of the eastern ones.

PLAY «SEVEN DAYS/STAINED GLASS/MIRROR»

XXIII Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

ENEKO VADILLO

Eneko Vadillo, a composer from Malaga, won the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Alnur”, dedicated to a historic figure such as Spanish composer Tomás Luis de Victoria. With the winning piece, Vadillo shows a firm desire to find common ground between opposite musical expressions by mixing tradition and modernity. Vadillo is inspired by Andalusia in the 10th and 11th centuries, where up to three different cultures coexisted. Vadillo studied at the Royal College of Music in London and is a professor at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid.

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XX Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

MARIO GOSÁLVEZ

Composer Mario Gosálvez won the twentieth edition of the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with Violin Concerto: “Arlequín”. A student under Ernesto Halffter in the United States, Gosálvez emphasizes the importance of writing a kind of music that reaches the audience. He aims to move his listeners through an increasingly rich contemporary style. His winning piece is an unusual mix of a concerto and a ballet, with a highly “visual” language.

PLAY «CONCIERTO PARA VIOLÍN Y ORQUESTA»

XVII Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

JESÚS TORRES

Composer Jesús Torres won the seventeenth edition of the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with Piano Concerto. Considered by many critics as one of the great masters of the contemporary music scene, Jesús Torres has been recognized throughout his career with an extensive list of awards, including the Reina Sofia Prize, the SGAE Prize and the National Music Award.

PLAY «CONCIERTO PARA PIANO Y ORQUESTA»

XIV Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

ALBERT LLANAS

Composer Albert Llanas won the fourteenth Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Derivations”. Llanas was trained as a composer by figures such as Guinovart, Josep Soler and Franco Donatoni. Critics emphasized his communicative virtuosity as well as the refined and poetic expressive power of his high-quality music writing.

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XI Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

ISRAEL DAVID MARTÍNEZ ESPINOSA

Composer and pianist Israel David Martínez Espinosa won the eleventh edition of the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “La jeune martyre”. Martínez Espinosa studied under composers such as Cristóbal Halffter and Joan Guinjoan, the winner of the first edition of the Prize. He wrote his first work at the age of 17 and his oeuvre includes chamber music as well as concertos and symphonic poems.

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VIII Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

SOPHIE LECLERC

French composer Sophie Leclerc won the eighth edition of the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Syzygies”, her debut in the field of orchestral music. Critics point to the influence of great figures such as Boulez, Stockhausen, Nunes and Ferneyhough, to her desire to replicate current trends, and to her competence and confidence in writing music of a great compositional quality.

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V Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

ÁNGEL OLIVER PINA

Composer Ángel Oliver Pina, born in Moyuela in 1937, won the fifth edition of the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Nunc”. The award’s popularity and reputation serve as a platform to vindicate a figure who until then had gone unnoticed on the national scene.

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II Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

CLAUDIO PRIETO

Claudio Prieto, a composer from Palencia, won the second edition of the Prize with Violin Concerto No. 2, directly inspired by Her Majesty Queen Sofia, who every year presents the award. The jury was made up of internationally acclaimed composers, such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Carmelo Bernaola and Joan Guinjoan. In composing the winning piece, Prieto “sought to offer a vision of the solo concerto inspired by contemporary language”.

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XXXVII Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

CARLOS FONTCUBERTA

Valencian composer Carlos Fontcuberta won the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Trencadís”, selected by a jury made up of Ananda Sukarlan, Fabián Panisello, Polo Vallejo, Juan Cruz-Guevara and Jesús Rueda. Fontcuberta studied under Ramón Ramos, Gérard Pesson and J. Manuel López López. He had previously been awarded prizes such as the Jóvenes Compositores Fundación Autor-CNDM, among others. He has worked as a resident composer of the Jove Orquestra de la Generalitat Valenciana and his works have been performed by the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, the Lorraine National Orchestra and the Ensemble l’Itinéraire.

XXXI Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

JOAN MAGRANÉ

Catalan composer Joan Magrané won the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with «Secreta desolación». Magrané trained as a composer with Ramon Humet and Agustí Charles (both winners of the Reina Sofia Prize), Beat Furrer and Stefano Gervasoni. He was previously awarded in the Franz Josef Reinl-Stiftung competition in Vienna and received a prize from the Ministry of Youth in Udine.

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XXXIV Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

ANTONIO LAUZURIKA

Composer Antonio Lauzurika won the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Tres espacios luminosos”, selected by a jury made up of Nadir Vassena, Fabrizio Festa, Francisco Martín Quintero, Jesús Rueda and Pedro Halffer. Lauzurika’s works have been performed at the National Auditorium in Madrid, the March Foundation and the Reina Sofia Museum, as well as at the Milan Auditorium and the Carnegie Hall in New York.

PLAY «TRES ESPACIOS LUMINOSOS»

XXVIII Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

HERMES LUACES

Hermes Luaces, a composer from Madrid, won the twenty-eighth Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Agujeros negros”. The jury was made up of José Luis Turina, Carlos Galán, Steingrimur Rohloff, Giovanni Bonato and Jesús Rueda. Luaces studied under Mauricio Sotelo, José Luis Delás, Philippe Hurel, Kaija Saariaho and Salvatore Sciarrino, among others.

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XXV Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

GABRIEL ERKOREKA

Basque composer Gabriel Erkoreka won the twenty-fifth Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Fuegos para orquesta”, selected by a jury made up of Antón García Abril, Joan Cerveró, David del Puerto, Benet Casablancas and Jesús Rueda. Erkoreka is an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in London, and his work was chosen out of the more than 140 scores submitted to the competition.

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XXII Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

DANIELE GASPARINI

Composer Daniele Gasparini won the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Myselves Passacaglia”, based on a poem by Dylan Thomas. The jury, made up of Massimo Botter, Miguel Ángel Coria, María Luisa Machado, María Luisa Cantos and Jesús Villa Rojo, consider Gasparini to be a brilliant composer. Many critics believe he’s a young prodigy, who at the age of twenty is already conducting. Gasparini was a student under Aurelio Sapori, and, according to the president of the jury, “Myselves Passacaglia” is a “a dramatic piece that reaches the depths of the soul”.

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XIX Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

GONZALO DE OLAVIDE

Gonzalo de Olavide, a composer from Madrid, won the nineteenth edition of the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Sine die”. According to the jury, the piece is “a valuable contribution to Spanish culture that substantially enriches the music of our time”. Olavide was a student at the Darmstadt School, together with Boulez, Ligeti, Berio and Stockhausen. Critics see Olavide's music as a model of commitment to authenticity and artistic independence. Previously, Olavide had won the National Music Award.

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XVI Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

JAVIER SANTACREU

Composer Javier Santacreu won the sixteenth edition of the Reina Sofia Prize with “Oniris”, an impeccably written work, with great command of structure, and music never running out of energy and vitality.

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XIII Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

ALEJANDRO CIVILOTTI

Composer Alejandro Civilotti won the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with “Cinco grabados para orquesta”. Civilotti, born in Argentina and professionally settled in Barcelona, was trained by Enrique Gerardi, a student of prestigious composers such as Alberto Ginastera and Nadia Boulanger. In Barcelona, Civilotti studied under Josep Soler and Joan Guinjoan, the winner of the first edition of the Prize. In addition to the Reina Sofia Prize, he has been awarded the Juventudes Musicales Prize, the Ciutat de Barcelona Prize and the Casa de las Américas Prize.

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X Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

XAVIER MONTSALVATGE

The Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition was declared vacant, and the jury decided to reward composer Xavier Montsalvatge in recognition of his career.

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IV Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

JOSÉ LUIS TURINA

Composer José Luis Turina, the grandson of Joaquín Turina, won the fourth edition of the Prize with “Ocnos”, a work inspired by Luis Cernuda’s poems. The jury was made up of prestigious composers and musicians such as Henri Dutilleux, Xavier Montsalvatge and Lluís Claret.

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VII Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

AGUSTÍN BERTOMEU SALAZAR

Composer Agustín Bertomeu Salazar won the seventh edition of the Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition with his Cello Concerto. Bertomeu Salazar studied under Tomás Blanco and Julio Gómez, among others.

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I Reina Sofia Prize in Music Composition

JOAN GUINJOAN

In 1983, Joan Guinjoan won the first edition of the Prize with “Trama”, a work divided into three parts that gradually develops rhythmic and melodic motifs to create a structural “framework”. The work is a display of timbral mastery in orchestral scoring. At the award ceremony, Guinjoan thanked the Queen and the Foundation for taking an interest in culture: “You’re perfectly aware of the efforts and risks involved in currently undertaking the difficult and fascinating creative adventure”. Guinjoan also declared: “This is the culmination of a lifetime devoted to music”, which made him feel even more responsibility towards himself and others.

PLAY «TRAMA» DE JOAN GUINJOA