Education
After studies in his native Montevideo, Águila moved to the United States in 1978, where he graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
After studies in his native Montevideo, Águila moved to the United States in 1978, where he graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
In 1987 Peermusic Classical published his first works, eventually incorporating most of del Águila’s works into their catalogue. American audiences embraced del Águila’s music in 1988 as he introduced his piano works at New York’s Carnegie Recital Hall, and, days later, Lukas Foss premiered his “Hexen” with the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra. Performances at Lincoln Center, the Royal Opera House, and in Moscow, Vienna, Zurich, Budapest, Prague, Tokyo, Rome, and other capitals began a decade of expansion and growth.
After residing in Vienna for ten years, del Águila returned to the United States in 1992, making his home in Southern California.
Before long Los Angeles Times critics welcomed him as “One of the West Coast"s most promising and enterprising young composers.” During this time he founded and directed the young musicians’ group Voices (which provided free instruction, concerts and premieres), and became music director of Ojai Camerata. New York’s Chautauqua Institution Summer Festival invited him as Resident Composer, where he remained until 2004 contributing new works, performances and literary articles
In 2005, Miguel del Águila accepted a two-year Composer-in-Residence position with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, through a Meet the Composer “Music Alive” Award. This marked the start of an intensively creative period that culminated with the fully staged premiere of his opera Time and Again Barelas, commemorating Albuquerque’s tricentennial.
These included almost fifty orchestras, over two hundred chamber ensembles and soloists, and virtually every country in Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Currently del Águila’s catalogue reaches over a hundred works for all genres. A Conga-Lincolnshire in Hell, Orchestra Salon Buenos Aires, Orchestra Toccata, Orchestra, Solo 2 2.