Victor Ibarra

Bio

Victor Ibarra, born in Guadalajara, Mexico, has had an extensive training in his own
country as well as in France and Switzerland, with well-known musicians such as Hebert
Vázquez, José Luis Castillo, Edith Lejet, Daniel D’Adamo and Michael Jarrell. He has
been awarded first prize in the Alea III competition in the United States, first prize in the
National Music Auditorium – BBVA Foundation competition in Spain, first prize in the
Mauricio Kagel competition, the Zeitklang Award in Austria, first prize in the Basel
Composition Competition in Switzerland, the French Ministry of Culture’s Commission,
among other international recognitions. In 2014, Ibarra was selected at the Ensemble
Aleph’s 7th International Forum for Young Composers, while simultaneously chosen as
a member of the Casa de Velazquez – Académie de France à Madrid.
His works have been performed by well-known international ensembles. He has
successfully completed his master’s degree in composition at the Conservatoire
National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon, unanimously winning first prize and the
special recognition from the Salabert Foundation. Since 2014 he has been a member of
the National System of Art Creators by the National Fund for Culture and Arts of Mexico.
Victor Ibarra’s style draws on widely varied resources that together outline a genuine
musical language. In his pieces, every passage is immersed in micro-tonality, with a
precise harmonic structure that often becomes labyrinthine, even obsessive. Rhythmic
energy is essential to his music, and he employs instrumental virtuosity to create new
spaces and dimensions. The influence of Spectralism is evident in his coloristic
approach to timbre, while interdisciplinary dialogue (usually with visual arts) puts a
personal mark on his work, which is characterized above all by clarity and fidelity to his
compositional instincts and ideals.
As of fall 2025, Victor Ibarra will be a Ph.D. student in Composition at the University of
California, Santa Barbara, under the instruction of João Pedro Oliveira, where he has
been awarded the prestigious Regent’s Fellowship in Music Award.