Jorge E. López

About Jorge E. López

Jorge E. López was born in Havana (Cuba), on 30 November 1955. In 1960 he emigrated to the USA, where he grew up in New York City and Chicago. In 1970 began the first attempts at composition, inspired by Ives, Mahler, Berg, Messiaen, Stockhausen and Xenakis. 1971–5 he studied composition with Leonard Stein and Morton Subotnick and music at the California Institute of the Arts; thereafter he destroyed almost all previous works. As a composer López is basically self-taught. In 1976 he moved to Chicago, where he worked as a factory worker, and later to Idaho and Arizona. In 1977 López relocated in spring to Portland, Oregon, where he produced film and video works. He did many tenting, mountain climbing and motorcycle trips through the American and Canadian West. He moved to Seattle, Washington, in November 1979. There he began a degree in science, miscellaneous activities. In 1982 López returned to composition. He relocated to the Methow Valley in northern Washington in spring 1983. López was occupied with forestry and agricultural work, and with environmental policy. Several stays in Germany followed after 1987. In autumn 1991 he finally moved to Europe. He spent summer 1992 in Lapp mountains and Iceland. In 1991 he settled the Möll Valley in Upper Carinthia (Austria). 2000–03 López worked as a visiting artist in video and acoustical design at the Karlsruhe Art and Media Technology Center. López´ pieces for orchestra and chamber ensemble have been presented at well-known festivals for New Music i. e. at the Donaueschinger Musiktage, Wien modern, Frankfurter Feste and the Salzburger Festspiele. López has received support from the Akademie der Künste Berlin, the Ernst-von-Siemens-foundation in Munich, Paul-Sacher-foundation in Basel, Heinrich-Strobel-foundation of the SWR, as well as receiving two Austrian state stipends.
Works (selection): “Landscape with Martyrdom” for large orchestra (1981–84); “Breath-Hammer-Lightning” for large orchestra [1989–91]; “Dome Peak” for 82 spatially distributed instrumentalists [1991–93]; “Tagebucheintragungen 1975–79” for orchestra [1993/94]; “Schatten vergessener Ahnen” for conductor [percussionist, actor], three pianos, two actors/dancers und 29 spatially distributed instrumentalists with musical leader [conductor] [1994/96]; “Gonzales the Earth Eater” for Wagnertuba solo and four instruments [1996]; “Traumzeit/Traumdeutung”, symphonic Action for instrumentalists in mountain space [1996/97]; “Kampfhandlungen/Traumhandlungen” for Ensemble [1995/98]; “Hin zur Flamme!”, action for orchestra, spatial lightdesign und objects [2000]; “Brass Quintet” [2003/04]