Patricia Martinez is an active Argentinian/Spanish composer, interdisciplinary artist and performer, based in Buenos Aires. Her works has emerged, in part, from an experimental process of 'stripping-down,' which involves a degree of risk-taking, in that the resulting music is left somewhat vulnerable in terms of its expressive identity. Her creative and research interests are focused on new music composition and interdisciplinary projects, specially contemporary music theatre, new opera, extended music composition & performance, a sensible use of technology (electroacoustic and video art), improvisation, and choreography-composition.
Ensembles and performers who have played Patricia’s music include: Arditti, The Jack, José White String Quartets, C2, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, WasteLAnd, Ensemble Ipse, Bang on a Can, SurPlus, Ensemble Adapter, Retro Disco, Seth Josel Trio, ACME, Staatstheater Darmstadt Ensemble, KHEMIA, Stanford New Music Ensemble, Cepromusic, Molot, Quinteto Latino, Xenia Pestova, Retro Disco, Verdant Vibes, Nonsense Ensemble, Experimenta, Encuentros, Seraphim, Compañía Oblicua, La Nada, Zhéffiro, Compañía Helada, Fractus, LV, Kaparilo and Orkest de Ereprijs.
Her works received awards including the most important recognitions of her country and abroad: 1st Municipal Prize, a composition life grant from Buenos Aires City Government (1998/99); National Argentinean Music Prize (2018); selected at the 2015 International Music Theatre Competition / Staatstheater Darmstadt / Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt (IMD); Prizewinner: “12 Minutes for Moniuszko”-International Stanisław Moniuszko Composers’ Competition for a Micro-Opera; 2nd Prize, International Composition Competition NEW NOTE 2019 / "44rd Samobor Music Festival" (Croatia); 2nd Prize, Musicworks' 2019 Electronic Music Composition Contest (CA); Gold Medal-Award of excellence as composer, Global Music Awards (US, 2016); The 2015 American House Prize (CU); Nominated for the Classical:NEXT Innovation Award 2019 (NL/DE); 1st Prize at the 3rd International Young Composers' Meeting (Gaudeamus-Holland); 1st Prize Francisco Kröpfl /SADAIC (Argentina Society of Music Composers and Authors); 1st Prize IBERMUSICAS-IBERESCENA (Ibero-America); 1st Prize National Composition Competition Juan Carlos Paz (1999/2018); 1st Prize Toda La Data Competition; 2nd Prize Diffusion (University of Limerick-Ireland); 1st Prize, Latin American Meeting of Composers Ceibo; 2nd Prize at the International Composers Tribune of The UNESCO (TRINARG); Prize 80 MUNDOS Label; 2nd Prize at SonoImagenes Competition; Residence Prix at the International Competition of Electroacoustic Music/Bourges (FR); selected at the 60 seconds Piano Composition Competition/ParisNewMusicReview; Mention at Pierre Schaeffer International Competition of Computer Music (Italy); 2st Prize, American Prize for Professional Composers in Opera Composition (USA, 2019); Maurice Ravel Prize for orchestra composition (Italy); and 1st Prize at the III Biennial of Young Art (AR. 1993).
Fellowships, grants, residencies and commissions that Patricia has received include those from: IRCAM, VCCA/UNESCO-Aschberg; Yvar Mikhashoff Trust For New Music Foundation; Houston Symphony EarShot New Music Readings/American Composers Orchestra; Residence Ibermúsicas/meLAB (BR); Music Current Festival Commission; Bludenzer Tage zeitgemäßer Musik; Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt; Ibermúsicas Fellowship for Residency of composers; Bang on a can summer institute; National Endowment for the Arts, International Commission Competition for Cello and Harp; University of Quilmes Postgraduate Fellowship; Stanford University Graduate Fellowship; Luigi Russolo International Competition; American Composer Forum; Experimental Center of the Colon Theater; Antorchas Foundation; Theater Municipal General San Martin; De Ereprijs Ensemble; Culture Fund BA; Icosaedre Dance Company, Program for creators from Ibero-America-FONCA (Mx); She worked at the electroacoustic Studios: LIEM (Madrid), GMEB, IRCAM, CESARE (FR), CCRMA (U.S), ARTE11, UNQ.
Recently highlights include the premiere of interdisciplinary diptych Short sleep (Breve sueño), commissioned and produced at the Experimental Center of Colón Theater (CETC, Arg.) with four sold out performances and successful press reviews; the premier of Beyond at the Place of Fine Arts (México DF) by Iber-dance/Music; The frozen little girl (La niña helada), a chamber opera commissioned and premiered during the 48th Ferienkurse für Neue Musik Darmstadt, that was selected to be fully produced at the Recoleta Cultural Center in the 2017 season with ten sold out performances and selected at the International New Opera Festival of Buenos Aires (FNOBA); and Espacio ausente, for 14 speakers, lights and voice, commissioned by Cervantes National Theatre (AR, 2018). Her opera “2001” has been qualified for the second stage of the International Stanisław Moniuszko Composers’ Competition “12 Minutes for Moniuszko”, and it will be staged in December 14, at The National Opera in Warsaw.
Patricia’s works has been performed at: New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival; MASS MoCA; Center for New Music; Florida Festival of Electroacoustic Music; New Music Miami ISCM Festival, MATA Festival (US); Yjsebreker; Classical:NEXT (NL); Festival Synthese; Symposium of Computer Music, Electronic Language International Festival/FILE/Hypersonica; Days of electroacoustic music (Ur); ISCM World Music Days (UK); IRCAM Forum (Kainan University, TW); Thom Theater (ZA); Festival in Real Time (CO); Tsonami Festival; MUSLAB International Festival; Manuel Enríquez International Forum of New Music; Ensemble IBER Danza-Música (Palace of Fine Arts, MX); Donaueschinger Musiktage; ACHT BRÜCKEN | Musik für Köln; Darmstadt Summer Course for New Music (DE); Music Current (IE); Colón Theater; Sonoimágenes International Festival; Contemporary Music Festival at the San Martín Theater; she has been the featured guest composer at the International Festival New Music for the Memory; Experimenta International Festival (AR/CL); International Festival of Experimental Music/FIME, Strange Music Festival (BR); Mittersill Composers' Forum (AT); FUSION Festival (CR); Goethe Institut (PE), among others events.
She was artistic director, founder member and performer of different new music and experimental ensembles in Buenos Aires, Paris and Virginia, since 1990. She is member and organizer of FASE (non-profit organization of artistic policies. She was jury member at the National Composition Competition Juan Carlos Paz (National Endowment for the Arts) 2015/16. Her works were published by Melos Editions, Babel Scores, Casa de las Américas; Innova, Wergo, 80 Mundos, CICTeM and Ein Klan Records. She is artistic director and founder of Compañía Helada (Frozen Company) of new opera.
Patricia is currently a professor of Composition at National University of Quilmes (UNQ); at the Superior Conservatory of Music from Buenos Aires City Astor Piazzolla (CSMCBA) and external tutor at the Doctoral program in music composition at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She holds a Doctoral and a Master degree in Music Composition from Stanford University, where Brian Ferneyhough was her advisor. She studied at the Municipal Conservatory of BA, National University of Quilmes and completing the Annual Course in Computer Music (IRCAM). She taught composition at Stanford University; National of Lima, University of Costa Rica, UNQ, FNA.