Learned the violin with a wonderful amateur player, the journalist and diplomat Walter Montenegro. While a student in La Paz, I eked out a living playing with the National Symphony Orchestra and later teaching at the National Conservatoire. Studied composition with Bolivia’s foremost composer, Alberto Villalpando. Spent time in Japan training in composition with Takashi Iida and Akira Ifukube and also learning the violin with Takeshi Kobayashi, but especially soaking in atmosphere. Japan’s beauty, discipline, order and superb food healed my ailing nerves and stomach. I owe that country my health.In England studied with James Wishart in Liverpool and with Douglas Young in London. Interesting projects included the opera Teoponte (1988) for the now-defunct London International Opera Festival - something of a flop but a life-changing and energising one, resulting in a new version of the same piece which is yet to be performed. Another opera project, The Wheel (1993), was rather well treated by the press following five splendid performances by The Garden Venture, the excellent contemporary chamber opera division at Covent Garden, which soon after this was axed by the Royal Opera House. Do I kill everything I touch? I hope not.
In Northern Ireland I occupied the post of composer in residence, which is now extinct, and was chairman of the Sonorities Festival, which is still going. Collaborated with good local musicians and institutions, including, surprisingly, Ulster Orchestra.
At Newcastle University I taught and taught, and continue to teach and teach, interacting with some wonderful young composers such as Patrik Bishay , Sergio Camacho, Matthew Rowan and many others. Also enjoyed fruitful collaborations with local musicians and institutions, even, surprisingly, Northern Sinfonia - several times. I love orchestras, in most cases unrequitedly.
My network of activity may feel gossamer-thin, but when I get jittery about this I tell myself that the reason is that it spreads over many different countries. In my travels I have worked with New Juilliard Ensemble, Juilliard Symphony, Orchestra Sinfonica di Perugia, Nuove Forme Sonore, Orquesta Sinfónica de El Alto, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León and many others. Recent sources of excitement have been working with Stefan Östersjö and Terje ThiwÃ¥ng on the complete version of A to Z in Stockholm, with an orchestra of young musicians in La Paz (Orquesta del Centenario del Conservatorio) on my piece Una Música Escondida (A Hidden Music) and a splendid première of my String Quartet No. 1 ’Montes’ by the Momenta Quartet in Philadelphia. They are all very much alive and going from strength to strength.
I miss Bolivia, but I love Northumberland; especially the hidden corner of it where l live.