BIO

Ricardo Arbiza is a Uruguayan musician focused on trombone, composition, and music technology. He received the 2018 Fulbright Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State, and the 2019 Organization of American States (OEA) Scholarship, which allowed him to complete his graduate studies in the United States. Currently, he is living between US, Europe, and Uruguay, where he engages in various musical projects as a performer, composer, and educator.

As a performer, Ricardo has been involved with different ensembles, including the Montevideo Symphonic Band, Uruguayan National Symphony Orchestra and the United Nations Symphony Orchestra, as well as salsa bands such as Tito Nieves and Aymeé Nuviola, among many others.. He has also played with big bands, military bands, and pop groups, performing in various countries across Latin America.

In composition, Ricardo’s works have been performed in Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Spain, and the United States. He was honored to receive the first prize in the 2023 Uruguayan National Composition Contest organized by the Ministry of Culture and the First Prize in the composition contest at the Trombonanza International Festival in Argentina. His interests also extend to experimental music, where he enjoys working on the design and development of DIY electroacoustic instruments and exploring electronic circuits and hacking.

In the field of sound art, Ricardo participated in the 2023 artistic residency at Binaural Nodar in Portugal and co-led workshops at the Asian Art Center in Gwangju, South Korea. He is co-leading the Sonic Time Machine project, which aims to recreate historical soundscapes, having as a first iteration the UNESCO World Heritage site Frigorífico Anglo in Fray Bentos, Uruguay.

Ricardo holds a Bachelor's Degree in Music Composition from Uruguay (UDELAR-EUM) and a Master's Degree in Orchestral Instruments: Trombone from The New School’s Mannes School of Music (New York). He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Music Performance and Composition at New York University (Steinhardt), working under the guidance of Dr. Robert Rowe and the trombone guidance of David Taylor. Ricardo also teaches at the Technology University of Uruguay (UTEC) in the Sound and Music Production department.