(b. 1 May 1956, Buenos Aires).
Argentinean composer, now resident in the USA, of mostly stage, orchestral, chamber, choral, vocal, and piano works that have been performed in Asia, Europe and North America.
Prof. Ortiz initially studied composition with Gerardo Gandini at the Universidad Católica Argentina in Buenos Aires, where he earned the Licenciado en Composición. He then studied composition with Jack Beeson, Chou Wen-chung and Mario Davidovsky at Columbia University and there earned his MA and later his DMA in 1992.
Among his honours are the Premio de Argentina Televisora Color in Buenos Aires (1981, for Falsas Apariciones), the Premio de la Fundación San Telmo in Buenos Aires (1982, for Dos canciones), the Boris & Eda Rapoport Prize at Columbia University (1987, for Septet), a fellowship at the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (1993), the Premio Roberto Caamaño in Buenos Aires (1994, for Impromptu), the Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (1996), and an Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2008).
He has taught analysis, composition and electronic at the University of California, Davis since 1994, where he has been Distinguished Professor of Music since 2020 amd where he was previously Jan and Beta Popper Professor of Music.
He has lived in the USA since 1983.
In addition to the works listed below, he has written music for films, stage productions and TV.
SELECT LIST OF WORKS
STAGE:
Parodia del combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda (chamber opera in 1 act, libretto by the composer, after Torquato Tasso), 1997 (also revised as Parodia, 2012)
Una voz en el viento (chamber opera for puppets, libretto by Tito Lorefice), soprano, baritone, bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano, bandoneón, fixed media (2 tracks), 1998
Kassia (ballet in 4 acts after sequences by Kassia, choreography by Diana Theocharidis), tenor, 2 basses, cello, 1998
Intemperie (ballet in 1 act, choreography by Diana Theocharidis), fixed media (2 tracks), 2010
Gallos y Huesos (text by Sergio Chejfec), baritone, 5 female voices, harp, 2012
Kassandra (chamber opera, libretto by Sergio Blanco), soprano, bass clarinet, violin, cello, live electronics, 2024
ORCHESTRAL:
Tres aspectos de una idea, large orchestra, 1982
Adagietto, string orchestra, 1983 (also version for viola, string orchestra, 1983)
Angel's relics, small orchestra, 1984
Horse Latitudes, large orchestra, 1986
What about Maximiliano?, harp, orchestra, 1998
concierto rastrojero, marimba, string orchestra, 2001
Suomalainen Tango, 2007
Marginal, small orchestra, 2012
The bill, 2014
Rocamadour, small orchestra, 2014
Concerto, bandoneón, orchestra, 2015
Mores Redux, small orchestra, 2018
Ne timeas Maria, string orchestra, 2022
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Falsas Apariciones, flute, clarinet, bassoon, harp, violin, cello, 1981
Brangel, harp, 1981
Coral con tropos, 4 flutes, 1982
Moonlight song, guitar, 1983
Variaciones sobre un tema isabelino (Walsingham), 2 flutes, oboe, 2 clarinets, French horn, bassoon, 1983
La dama del lago, flute, saxophone, piano, percussion, 1984
Five little pieces, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, 1985
Passion reconsidered, clarinet, bass clarinet, viola, cello, piano, 1986
Crocodile tears, 2 cellos, 1986
Septet, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, French horn, trumpet, violin, cello, 1987
Vortex, string quartet, 1988
It is safer to have been, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, piano, 1989
Ciego como una cebolla, oboe, bass clarinet, trumpet, piano, synthesizer, marimba, 1990
El agua incierta, alto flute, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 1992
Vida Furtiva, clarinet, violin, piano, 1992
Trazos en el polvo, violin, cello, piano, 1994
Jubilo secreto, violin, fixed media (2 tracks), 1995
Suite from the chamber opera 'The Proof of Love', oboe, bass clarinet, trumpet, trombone, piano, 2 percussion, violin, cello, 1995
Storytime, flute, violin, cello, piano, 1996
Hipermilonga alla Thomas Bernhard, clarinet, violin, piano, 1997
Locas Tentaciones, 2 marimbas, 2 percussion, 1997
Miniature, guitar, 1998
Five little milonguitas, violin, 1998
Me dijo, 8 cellos, 1999
Bass clarinet milonguitas, bass clarinet, 1999
Americana, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, 2000
Sol de medianoche, harp, fixed media (2 tracks), 2000
Una barbarie módica, oboe, clarinet, French horn, piano, percussion, viola, double bass, 2000
Raya en el mar, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, piano, 2 percussion, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, 2001
mujer número uno, cello, piano, percussion, 2001
Wassercontrabass, double bass, 2002
Le premier tango finlandais, cello, 2002
Papel picado, harp, cello, 2002
Le dernier tango argentin, cello, 2003 (also version as Le vrai tango argentin, viola, 2003)
Le deuxième tango finlandais, cello, 2003
Bianco, 2 cellos, 2003
Monjeau, 2 cellos, 2003
El jefe (Renán), 2 cellos, 2003
Heritage, harp, violin, cello, piano, 2003
Sortija, guitar, 2003
Firpo, 3 cellos, 2004
El tigre, 3 cellos, 2004
Manzi, cello, 2004
Ángeles Caídos, 3 cellos, 2005
Falling from Grace, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, 2005
The motorcycle boy reigns, flute, viola, marimba, 2006
Heat wave, flute, oboe, clarinet, trumpet, piano, percussion, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, 2006
Libero è nell'animo, flute (+ piccolo), harp, viola, 2006
Suomi la milonga, violin, viola, cello, 2007
The motorcycle boy in the West Coast, 3 percussion, 2008
Laitakaupunki, accordion, 2008
Edelleen Laitakaupunki, violin, viola, cello, 2008
Corn alone just won't do, violin, viola, cello, 2009
Joie de vivre, flute, 3 percussion, 2009
The viola in the motorcycle boy's life, viola, marimba, 2010
Paloma, cello, 2010
And all the phonies go mad with joy, violin, viola, cello, 2010
Perpetuo, violin, cello, harpsichord, 2012
Freak folk, guitar, violin, 2012
The fleeting yin of the motive, string quartet, 2013
We danced the famous morango, 2 marimbas, 2014
Dos marimbas, 2 marimbas, 2019
Requiem para Gerry, flute, clarinet, electric guitar, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 2023
Flying objects, oboe, viola, organ, percussion, film (by Daniel Godsil), 2023
CHORAL:
Misa (text from the Mass), 8 mixed voices, 1983
In monte oliveti (text from Latin liturgy), 4 mixed voices, 1991
O vos omnes (text from Latin liturgy), 4 mixed voices, 1994
Hæc Dies (text from Latin liturgy), 4 mixed voices, 1996
Laboravi in gemitu meo (text from Latin liturgy), 4 mixed voices, 1996
Notker (text by Notker the Stammerer), 2 tenors, 2 baritones, organ, 1996
Jitomates risueños (text by Francisco X. Alarcón), 3 children's voices, 1997
Epithalamica (text by Peter Abelard), 4 mixed voices, 1997
The Darkling Thrush (text by Thomas Hardy), 4 mixed voices, 1997
Laudate Dominum (text from Latin liturgy), 4 mixed voices, 1999
Averroes, Tahafut ul tahafut (text by Jorge Luis Borges), 3 female voices, 2002
Bendición (text by Francisco X. Alarcón), 3 female voices, 2002
Oscuro (texts by Francisco X. Alarcón, Amado Nervo), mixed chorus, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 2004
Cebolla feliz (text by Francisco X. Alarcón), children's chorus, 2004
Beeny Cliff (text by Thomas Hardy), 4 mixed voices, 2008
Waiting both (text by Thomas Hardy), 4 mixed voices, 2009
Face and heart (text by Francisco X. Alarcón), 3 female voices, 2010
Metamorphoses (text by Ovid), mixed chorus in 2 groups (3 voices each), 2014
Teatro Martín Fierro (text by Sergio Chejfec), 3 treble voices, 4 guitars, 2015
Ancor che col partire (text by Cipriano de Rore), 4 mixed voices, 2016
Maizal del gregoriano (text by Arnaldo Calveyra), 4 mixed voices, celesta, 2016
Leaving Limerick (text by Richard Blanco), 4 mixed voices, 2016
E ne la face de' begli occhi accende (text by Ludovico Ariosto), 4 mixed voices, 2018
Tædet animam meam (text from the Requiem Mass), 4 mixed voices, trombone, electric guitar, organ, vibraphone, string orchestra, 2021
VOCAL:
Dos canciones (text by Juan L. Ortiz), soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, percussion, 1982
Crecimiento, voice, piano, 1986
Henley Regatta (text by Thomas Hardy), soprano, violin, 2005
A Beauty's soliloquy during her honeymoon (text by Thomas Hardy), soprano, violin, 2005
In the marquee (text by Thomas Hardy), baritone, cello, 2006
Her Secret (text by Thomas Hardy), soprano, violin, cello, 2007
Two Lips (text by Thomas Hardy), baritone, violin, cello, 2007
Without Ceremony (text by Thomas Hardy), soprano, violin, cello, 2007
An old likeness (text by Thomas Hardy), baritone, violin, cello, 2007
Three songs by Rosario Castellanos (text by Rosario Castellanos), countertenor, piano, 2007
At castle Boterel (text by Thomas Hardy), baritone, violin, cello, 2008
Four Hardy Songs (text by Thomas Hardy), voice, string orchestra, 2010
Chorus musicus (text by María Negroni), soprano, piano, 2010
Los cementerios de París (text by María Negroni), soprano, piano, 2010
Garden Songs (text by Louise Glück), soprano, 2011
Alius I–III (text by Matteo da Perugia), soprano, 2 viols, 2014
Mc Clure's beach (text by Sydney Hall), soprano, piano, 2018
Ángeles son (text by St. Teresa of Ávila), soprano, harp, percussion, 2019
Where the breath is (21 songs, text by Adam Zagajewski), soprano, string quartet, 2019
PIANO:
Tres pequeñas piezas sobre canones de Nessy Muhr, 1983
Es ancho y negro el olvido, 1988
Fear of tango, 2 pianos, 1993
Impromptu, 1994
Piglia, 2002
The shady side, 2003
Cycle, fortepiano, 2016
Paisaje, piano 4 hands, 2016
ORGAN:
Sudor de tinta, 1990
ELECTROACOUSTIC:
Two studies for DX7, fixed media (2 tracks), 1986
Oriental, fixed media (2 tracks), 1998
Maritim, fixed media (2 tracks), 2001
SCORE FOR SILENT FILM:
Ramona, 2009 (for Ramona by D. W. Griffith)