Composer and theorist Horacio Vaggione is among the group of musicians who, in the tradition of Xenakis or Risset, have cemented the identity of the composer/researcher while also defending the importance of sensitivity and conceptuality in music.

His works, such as Modelos de universo III (1972, for 11 instruments and digitally-synthesised tape), Thema (1985, for bass saxophone and multi-track tape), Schall (1994, multi-track electro-acoustic), and Arches II (2019, for electric guitar, alto saxophone, piano, cello, percussionn and electronics), go hand in hand with the concepts which Vaggione develops in his articles, namely, interactivity, temporal scales, network-oriented composition, and morphological approaches, among others. This unity between theory and practice denotes Vaggione as “one of the first composers to have thoroughly integrated computer technology into his creative activities” (J.C. Risset, 2007:5).

Horacio Vaggione studied piano with Ornella Ballestreri and composition at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (Argentina) from 1959 to 1963, and in Buenos Aires with Juan Carlos Paz from 1960 to 1963. In 1965, he co-founded the Centro de música experimental (CME) at the Universidad Nacional in Córdoba. In 1966, as a recipient of a Fulbright Grant, he began studying computer-aided composition with Lejaren Hiller and Herbert Brün at the University of Illinois. From 1969 to 1973, he worked with Luis de Pablo at the Alea Electronic Music Studio in Madrid, and at the same time, worked on the “Music and Computer” project at the Calcul Centre at the University of Madrid.

In 1978, he moved to France, where he currently lives. He obtained a doctorate from Paris VIII University under the tutelage of Daniel Charles (1983), and attended workshops and conferences at IRCAM, GRM, IMEB, etc. In 1987-88, he was awarded a DAAD Residence in Berlin, where he worked in the Digital Music Studio at the Technische Universität.

In 1989, he became an assistant professor, and later a full professor, at Paris VIII University, and later, supervised PhD students in the École Doctorale Esthétique, Sciences et Technologies des Arts. He also founded and directs the Centre de Recherches Informatique et Création Musicale (CICM). In 2012, he became a Professor Emeritus, while continuing to supervise doctoral theses.

In 2013, he was “Manuel de Falla” Chair of Composition in Seville; in 2015, he was composer-in-residence at the Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology (ICST) at Zürich University of the Arts; in 2016, he was composer-in-residence at CMMAS, the Mexican Centre for Music and Sonic Art; and in 2017, was Konrad Bohemer Professor of Music and Innovation at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague.

Horacio Vaggione’s music has been awarded prizes in many international competitions, including Newcomp (Cambridge, MA, 1983), Euphonie d’Or (Bourges, 1992), International Computer Music Association Award (USA, 1992), Ton Bruynel Prize (Amsterdam, 2010), Giga-Hertz Produktion Preis (ZKM, Karlsruhe, 2011), and the Tomas Luis de Victoria Prize (SGAE Foundation, Madrid) for his body of work (2019).

In 2018, he was awarded an honourary doctorate from the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba.

His catalogue contains some 90 instrumental, electroacoustic, and mixed works. He has also authored 54 research papers which have been published in conference proceedings, books (published by MIT Press, Harwood Academic Publishers, Swett and Zeitlinger, Harmattan, Routledge) and peer-reviewed journals (Computer Music Journal, Contemporary Music Review, Journal of New Music Research, Musica-Realtà, etc).