Prominent composer, as well as professor and conductor, he is one of the Spanish musicians with the highest projection and international recognition.
He pursued his studies in Composition under Francis Burt at the University of Music in Vienna, graduating in 1987 with an Extraordinary Graduation Award. He also studied Electroacoustic Music with Dieter Kaufmann and Orchestral Conducting with Karl Österreicher. Later, he deepened his knowledge under Luigi Nono, a composer whose thinking still exerts a notable influence on the imagery of his work.
Since 1991, his music has been published in the prestigious Universal EdiNon catalogue of Vienna, alongside works by Bartók, Mahler, Schoenberg, Berg, Webern, or Pierre Boulez.
His music has been recognised with awards such as:
- 1986 - First prize in Composition from the Joven Orquesta Nacional de España (JONDE)
- 1987 – Unanimous Outstanding Graduation Award in Viena
- 1989 - First prize in Composition from SGAE
- 1991 - Composition Award (Förderpreis) from the city of Viena
- 1992 - Composition Award from the WDR Forum Junger Komponisten
- 1997 - Ernst von Siemens Award
- 1999 - Daniel Montorio Award for the opera «De Amore» (1999)
- 2000 - «Reina Sofía» Award for musical composition
- 2001 – National Music Award.
He was Composer in Residence at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Berlin –Wissenschaeskolleg zu Berlin– (2011/12).
His works have been performed by ensembles such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bamberg Symphony, SWR Symphony Orchestra, Vienna RSO Symphony Orchestra, German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquesta Nacional de España, Orquestaa Sinfónica de Galícia, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Stukgarter Kammerorchester, Klangforum Wien, MusikFabrik, Ensemble Modern, Artemis Quartek, Quatuor DioNma, Quartet Casals, and soloists such as Cañizares, Garvayo, Enrique Morente, Benjamin Schmid, Nicholas Hodges, Tabea Zimmermann, or Patricia Kopatchinskaja, among many others.
The premiere at the Teatro Real in February 2015 of his opera EL PÚBLICO, commissioned by Gerard Morner for the Madrid Coliseum, was acclaimed by the international press and received an enthusiastic reception from the audience.
Since 2010, he has been a Full Professor of Composition at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC). He has also been invited as a lecturer by institutions in Austria, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States.