The concept of topophilia relates to attraction or affinity to place, the bond between a person and a specific locality. Topophilia is understood to be the result of the perception of a particular environment. In this case the term is borrowed to suggest the allure of a type of place — a space instilled with musical meaning — which displays characteristics of intimacy and closeness. An abstract musical topos, which exists in the intimate and personal zones and is rooted in the concrete materiality of the sound objects inhabiting it. The work is not only an artistic interpretation of the notion of aural micro-space but also an attempt to work with the reality of such a notion in a way that the latter permeates the former.

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Topophilia was realized at the composer’s studio in the first half of 2016 and premiered on October 8, 2016 during the Visiones Sonoras festival in Morelia (Mexico). Topophilia was awarded the 1st prize at the Iannis Xenakis International Electroacoustic Composition Competition (Thessaloniki, Greece, 2017), the 1st prize in the acousmatic category at the 9th Destellos Electroacoustic Composition Competition (Mar del Plata, Argentina, 2016), the Prize of the electronic music category at the USF New-Music Consortium Competition (Tampa, FL, USA, 2017), the ICST Residency Prize at the Concours international de composition électroacoustique de Monaco (2016), the 4th prize at the 2nd Klang! International Electroacoustic Composition Competition (Montpellier, France, 2017), and a special mention at the 9th Biennial Acousmatic Composition Competition Métamorphoses (Belgium, 2016).

Premiere

• October 8, 2016, Visiones Sonoras 12, CIME / ICEM 2016: Concierto CIME 2, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores — Campus Morelia — UNAM, Morelia (Mexico)

Awards

• 1st prize, Fixed medium, 9th Destellos Competition 2016, Mar del Plata (Argentina)
• ICST Residence Prize, Fixed medium, 2016 Monaco International Electroacoustic Composition Competition, Monaco (Monaco)
• Special Mention, 9th Biennial Acousmatic Composition Competition Métamorphoses 2016, Ohain (Belgium)
• Prize, Electronic, USF New-Music Consortium Competition 2017, Tampa (Florida, USA)
• 1st prize, Iannis Xenakis International Electroacoustic Composition Competition 2017, Greece
• 2nd prize, Klang! International Electroacoustic Composition Competition 2017, Montpellier (Hérault, France)
• Special Mention, Ars Electronica Forum Wallis 2018, Leuk (Switzerland)
• 2nd prize, Computer and Electronic Music, Computer Space 2019, Sofia (Bulgaria)