Luis Tabuenca (Zaragoza, Spain) is a composer and percussionist whose work explores the intersections of composition, improvisation and interdisciplinary creation. His artistic practice spans concert music, opera, sound installation, performance, dance and site-specific projects, often developed in close collaboration with performers, visual artists, choreographers and researchers from diverse fields.
In 2026, Tabuenca was awarded the XLIII Reina Sofía Prize for Musical Composition, one of Spain’s most prestigious composition awards. His orchestral work Remanence will be premiered by the RTVE Symphony Orchestra in Madrid. His recent projects include Naturstudium III, created in collaboration with Les Percussions de Strasbourg and released on the Kairos label, continuing a long-standing artistic exploration of sound, listening and the relationship between music and the natural world.
As both composer and performer, Tabuenca has developed a body of work that moves fluidly between written and improvised practices. His catalogue includes opera, orchestral music, ensemble works, chamber music, solo works, sound installations, audiovisual projects and interdisciplinary productions presented in festivals, museums, concert halls and public spaces throughout Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa. His music has been released by labels including Kairos, Mode Records, Aural Terrains, Diatribe, Verso and Acheulian Handaxe Records.
Alongside his compositional activity, Tabuenca has maintained an active international career as a percussionist, collaborating with musicians and ensembles across contemporary, experimental and improvised music scenes. He is the founder and artistic director of Volavérunt Ensemble, a Barcelona-based platform dedicated to contemporary and interdisciplinary creation. He has also founded and directed artistic initiatives devoted to experimental music, sound art and interdisciplinary practice.
His projects have received support from institutions including the BBVA Foundation (Leonardo Grant), the Fulbright Commission, the Spanish Ministry of Culture, the Institut Ramon Llull, and the Governments of Catalonia and Aragon. He has served as artist-in-residence and guest lecturer at universities, festivals and cultural institutions internationally, including New York University, Bern University of the Arts (HKB), the National University of Colombia and the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid.
Tabuenca holds a PhD in Fine Arts (Sound Art) from the University of Barcelona and an M.A. in Music from the University of California, San Diego, where he worked with artists such as Steven Schick, Philippe Manoury, and Mark Dresser. While grounded in contemporary music practice, his work is characterized by a constant curiosity towards new forms of collaboration, expanded listening and the creation of artistic experiences that connect sound with broader social, spatial and cultural contexts.
