Nuno da Rocha

Nuno da Rocha (born 1986) is a Portuguese composer and guitarist whose work explores the intersection between models of indeterminate pitch and contemporary orchestration. His works have been performed by leading ensembles, including the Gulbenkian Orchestra, the Casa da Música Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestre National de Bretagne. Notable among his works are the orchestral pieces Restart and Inferno, and his opera Paraíso, a commission for the 30th anniversary of the Belém Cultural Centre.

He earned a PhD in Composition from the Royal Academy of Music (London), where he researched notation of indeterminate pitch and the interaction between composer and performer. As a guitarist, he was part of the project Mão na Música, collaborating with André Hencleeday, Sérgio Godinho, Adolfo Luxúria Canibal, and João Neves.

He has premiered works for electric guitar by contemporary Portuguese composers, contributing to the expansion of the instrument’s repertoire. Among the awards he has received as a composer are the Arts Society Composition Prize 2020, the SPA/RTP Composition Competition 2012, and the Eric Coates Composition Prize 2019.