A. Crespo Barba is a composer, maker and educator. His creations are positioned in the in-betweens of his artistic practice, with a body of work that includes experimental electronic music compositions, pieces for chamber ensembles, installations and artistic research on flamenco music. His most recent work explores sonic friction as a liminal space of tension between beauty and degradation. Through gradually evolving textures, distortion, saturation and physical sonic impulses, his music creates situations in which familiar modes of listening are unsettled and transformed. Rather than treating beauty and degradation as opposing qualities, his practice explores the collision between them as a generative force for new forms of affective experience. Crespo Barba’s pieces have been premiered in important Dutch venues and festivals such as Gaudeamus Muziekweek, November Music, O Festival or Flamenco Biënnale Nederland. Outside The Netherlands, his work has been performed in Spain, England, Italy, Lithuania, Croatia and Mexico. The multidisciplinary approach to his artistic praxis has enabled him to collaborate with choreographers, visual artists and makers such as Dremat, Lukas Karvelis and MAISON the FAUX. Parallel to his practice as a composer, Crespo Barba was a member of the Artistic Research Department at the Conservatory of Rotterdam for three years.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

• Artist in Residency at Konvent Zero as part of the CROMLEC programme organised by einaidea, ES (2026)

• Selected artist in the Mu-tantes open call Ecosistema (2026)

• Special mention for his piece as you can see i still remember , as part of the Calefax Composers Competition (2024)

• Selected composer at New Notes for Juho Myllylä, organised by Gaudeamus Muziekweek, November Music and Grachtenfestival (2023)

• Artist in Residency at Centro Coreográfico de La Gomera and Teatri di Vita, ES / IT (2023)

• Honoured with the Werkbijdrage Muziekauteur by the Dutch Fonds for Performing Arts (2020)

• Winner of the Best New Composer award organised by New Music Conference and November Music (2019)

• Selected composer at New Notes for James Oesi, organised by Gaudeamus Muziekweek, November Music and Grachtenfestival (2019)