Hèctor Parra
Born in Barcelona in 1976, the Spanish composer Hèctor Parra studied with Jonathan Harvey, Brian Ferneyhough and Michael Jarrell. Today, he teaches composition as a professor at the renowned research institution IRCAM in Paris. Parra has written a diverse oeuvre of more than 60 compositions, ranging from solo piano pieces, chamber music and orchestral works all the way to operas. He is influenced and inspired in his work by scientific experiences and his passion for the visual arts. Parra has been invited to many festivals of contemporary music, including the Warsaw Autumn, Klangforum Vienna, the Donaueschingen Music Days, and the Witten Days of New Chamber Music. The most recent of his five operas, Wilde, was given its world premiere at the Schwetzingen Festival in 2015, directed by Calixto Bieito. Das geopferte Leben for four singers, baroque ensemble and modern ensemble was written for the Munich Biennial in 2013.