Ramón Gorigoitia

Ramón Gorigoitia was born in Valparaíso, Chile, in 1958. He studied music education and composition at the Catholic University in Valparaíso. In 1983 he moved to Germany to study composition and jazz, first at the Cologne Conservatoire and later at the University of Cologne, where he continued his education in musicology and phonetics. He attended composition masterclasses and seminars in Paris, Amsterdam, Bayreuth, Oldenburg and Cologne with Gustavo Becerra-Schmidt, Mauricio Kagel, Jos Leusink and others.

He has received scholarships, prizes and commissions from the Gaudeamus Foundation, Stiftung Kunst & Kultur NRW, SK Stiftung Kultur, Kulturamt Köln, Deutsche Welle, WDR, Deutschlandfunk and the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung, among others. He has taught at universities and academies in Chile and Germany and collaborated with ensembles, choirs and soloists in Germany, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Ukraine and Chile. His music has been performed at contemporary music festivals in Europe, North and South America, and Asia. With support from the Goethe-Institut, he has toured with the E-Mex Ensemble, Auditivvokal Dresden and Ensemble Iberoamericano. Based in Cologne, he works as a freelance composer, conductor, pianist and writer.