Commissions
Original music for ensembles, orchestra, soloists, and institutional projects.
Film and Media Scoring
Original music for film, documentary, and multimedia projects.
Teaching and Education
Classes, workshops, and seminars on composition and analysis
Commissions
Original music for ensembles, orchestra, soloists, and institutional projects.
Film and Media Scoring
Original music for film, documentary, and multimedia projects.
Teaching and Education
Classes, workshops, and seminars on composition and analysis
About
Rafael Motomochi (Monterrey, 1991) is a Mexican composer and composition professor at the Facultad de Música of the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León and at Tecnológico de Monterrey, where he teaches music scoring for audiovisual media.
He currently serves as Artistic Coordinator of the Centro de Compositores de Nuevo León. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Musical Composition from UANL under the mentorship of Dr. Ricardo Martínez Leal and a Master’s degree in Composition and Arranging from the Universidad Tito Puente.
He has participated in courses, workshops, and masterclasses with distinguished musical figures such as Panayiotis Kokoras (Greece), Philip Grange (United Kingdom), Joao Pedro Oliveira (Portugal), Julio Estrada (Mexico), Osvaldo Budón (Uruguay), Constantine Caravassilis (Greece), Victor Rasgado (Mexico), Roberto Morales (Mexico), Ignacio Baca Lobera (Mexico), Núria Andorrà (Spain), and Iván Ferrer (Mexico), among others.
His compositional approach centers on the musical gesture as a structural and narrative axis, exploring the behavior of sound and its capacity to articulate movement, tension, saturation, and silence. His works have been performed by the Sinfonietta UANL, the UANL Symphony Orchestra, Ensamble de Percusión Q-Sión, Cuarteto Cromano, and other ensembles dedicated to contemporary creation.
About
Rafael Motomochi (Monterrey, 1991) es compositor y maestro de composición en la UANL y el Tecnológico de Monterrey, especializado en musicalización audiovisual.
Actualmente es coordinador artístico del Centro de Compositores de Nuevo León.
Es licenciado en Composición Musical por la UANL y maestro en Composición y Arreglo por la Universidad Tito Puente. Ha estudiado con destacados compositores internacionales como Kokoras, Grange, Oliveira, Estrada, Budón, Caravassilis, Rasgado, Morales, Baca Lobera, Andorra e Iván Ferrer.
Awards
His presence on international stages reflects the global scope of his work and the relevance of his artistic voice in contemporary composition. Each recognition serves not only as a personal achievement, but as motivation to further explore the expressive potential of sound.
- 2025 — Timisoara, Romania. Winner of the 12th Remus Georgescu International Competition.
- 2025 — PRAGA, REPUBLICA CHECA. Participation in HOLFLUXX 25 International Festival of Film and Music with The Last Minutes of Life.
- 2024 — MOSCOW, RUSSIA. First Prize, XIV International Competition of Creativity Music and Electronics, with The Last Minutes of Life (electroacoustic music).
- 2024 —MEX. He received the commission to orchestrate the anthem of the Faculty of Music at UANL in commemoration of its 85th anniversary.
- 2024 and 2022 — MEX. Awarded two PECDA grants (Programa de Estímulo a la Creación y Desarrollo Artístico), Nuevo León.
- 2022 — MOSCOW, RUSSIA. 1o Lugar en el XIV International Competition of Creativity Music and Electronics con la obra, “Murmullos”, (quinteto de percusión).
- 2022 — MEX.. Participation in the 2022 Manuel Enríquez International Forum for New Music with the work “Murmullos” (percussion quintet)
- 2021 — MEX. Founding member of the Colegio Neoleonés de Compositores de Música.
- 2021 — MEX. Percussion work for the documentary Horizontes tímbricos.
- 2020 — MEX. Participation in ENARTES Virtual 2020 within Horizontes Tímbricos with Murmullos.
- 2018 — MEX. Recipient of the Centro de Compositores de Nuevo León grant.
- 2015 — 2016 MEX.Recipient of the Centro de Compositores de Nuevo León grant.
- 2014 — MEX. First Prize at the Nuevo León State Composition Competition, held during the Festival Internacional de Música Nueva de Nuevo León.
Awards
His presence on international stages reflects the global scope of his work and the relevance of his artistic voice in contemporary composition. Each recognition serves not only as a personal achievement, but as motivation to further explore the expressive potential of sound.
- 2025 — Timisoara, Romania. Winner of the 12th Remus Georgescu International Competition.
- 2025 — PRAGA, REPUBLICA CHECA. Participation in HOLFLUXX 25 International Festival of Film and Music with The Last Minutes of Life.
- 2024 — MOSCOW, RUSSIA. First Prize, XIV International Competition of Creativity Music and Electronics, with The Last Minutes of Life (electroacoustic music).
- En 2024 —MEX. He received the commission to orchestrate the anthem of the Faculty of Music at UANL in commemoration of its 85th anniversary.
- 2024 and 2022 — MEX. Awarded two PECDA grants (Programa de Estímulo a la Creación y Desarrollo Artístico), Nuevo León.
- 2022 — MOSCOW, RUSSIA. 1o Lugar en el XIV International Competition of Creativity Music and Electronics con la obra, “Murmullos”, (quinteto de percusión).
- 2022 — MEX.. Participation in the 2022 Manuel Enríquez International Forum for New Music with the work “Murmullos” (percussion quintet)
- 2021 — MEX. Founding member of the Colegio Neoleonés de Compositores de Música.
- 2021 — MEX. Percussion work for the documentary Horizontes tímbricos.
- 2020 — MEX. Participation in ENARTES Virtual 2020 within Horizontes Tímbricos with Murmullos.
- 2018 — MEX. Recipient of the Centro de Compositores de Nuevo León grant.
- 2015 — 2016 MEX.Recipient of the Centro de Compositores de Nuevo León grant.
- 2014 — MEX. First Prize at the Nuevo León State Composition Competition, held during the Festival Internacional de Música Nueva de Nuevo León.
Rafael Motomochi
Music
Azufre - for orchestra (2025)
Azufre ( sulfur )
for orchestra
1222+Picc – 2221 – Timp+2 – Str
2025
Azufre portrays the effect of industrial activity on the environment, especially the gas emissions that
come from factories and heavy machinery.
The piece creates a soundscape in which the listener can imagine the mechanical pulse of the
industrial plants, the metallic rumble, and the smoke rising, expanding, and enveloping the
surroundings.
The title refers to the characteristic smell of certain industrial pollutants and to the toxicity that fills
the air due to these emissions.
Duration: 10 minutes
The Last Minutes of Life – Electroacoustic Music (2024)
The Last Minutes of Life
Electroacoustic music – Work composed with Minimoog Voyager.
2024
This piece uses a candle to capture the transition from life to death. The candle represents the
fragility and brevity of life. Its flame, which starts steady and gentle, reflects the heartbeat and
the silence before it goes out.
As the music progresses, the candle begins to respond, moving and vibrating more intensely,
reflecting the rising tension and the struggle for life. This is a significant moment where life
fights to hold on.
In the final part, the flame returns to a calm that anticipates what’s coming. Eventually, the
candle goes out, leaving only smoke, which symbolizes total absence: nothing remains—just
emptiness and silence—a body without energy, without a soul.
Duration: 6:14
La marioneta - for orchestra (2024)
La marioneta - (The Marionette)
for orchestra
1221+Picc – 1201 – Timp+2 – Str
2024
The Marionette is a composition that seeks to represent the movement of a marionette, including the sound of its steps, its unsteady
and broken walk, the playful movement of its body, the noise it makes when its wooden body strikes the floor upon falling, and the nearly invisible strings that control it. These strings are represented by
high-pitched musical textures.
Duration: 10:30 minutes
La Danza de la Lluvia - for percussion ensamble and electronics.. (2023)
La Danza de la Lluvia (The Rain Dance)
for percussion sextet and electronics
- Wind chimes.
- Polystyrene foam.
- Flexatone/Congas.
- Marimba.
- Güiro/glockenspiel
- Wind chimes/Flexatone.
2023
The Rain Dance captures the drought that occurred in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, in the year 2022. As a piece of descriptive music, "The Rain Dance" presents a collection of scenes that begin by portraying the desperation and sobbing of the people due to the lack of water. Suddenly, they observe clouds approaching from the horizon. Gradually, the wind begins to intensify, and they collectively begin a ritualistic dance to invoke the rain.
Duration: ca. 7 minutes
Murmullos - for percussion ensamble and electronics. (2020)
Murmullos (Murmurs)
for five percussionists and electronics
- Güiro
- Snare I
- Crash ride/Snare II.
- Bass Drum.
- Vibraphone
- Electronics.
2020
Murmurs is a composition that takes its main inspiration from the hissing sound of a murmur, the quietude one hears when a
person speaks softly or shares a secret.
This composition evokes the image of a person alone in the forest. As night falls, mysterious whispers and ominous creaks envelop
the lone figure in the forest. These sounds intensify, indicating a lurking presence—something is there, something is pursuing them.
The music unfolds a narrative that explores the tension between solitude and the unseen forces that come alive in the darkness.
The enigmatic pursuit adds an extra layer of fascination to the experience, encouraging listeners to immerse themselves in the evolving story of the solitary figure in the forest.
Duration: ca. 7 minutes
Convulsión Sonora - for string quartet (2019)
Convulsión sonora (Sonic Convulsion)
for string quartet
2019
Sonic Convulsion is an immersion into the absolute void, where silence is broken by an uncontrollable force. The work begins in stillness, with vibrations that slowly grow and twist, moving through spasms and convulsions that suggest a universe in formation. The sound steadily starts to intensify, leading to a final explosion of stridency that reflects the birth of the cosmos.
Duration: 9:40
A ímprobo II - for string quartet (2017)
A ímprobo II (intense and prolonged effort)
for string quartet
2017
The term ímprobo refers to an intense and prolonged effort. The work begins from an initial state of calm and develops a musical discourse that gradually moves toward tension, increasing through the insistence and accumulation of sonic material until reaching a point of saturation and exhaustion.
Duration: 9:40
Ímprobo – for B♭ clarinet, vibraphone, violin, and cello (2016)
ímprobo (intense and prolonged effort)
for B♭ clarinet, vibraphone, violin, and cello (2016)
2016
The term ímprobo refers to an intense and prolonged effort. The work is based on this notion and develops a gradual musical discourse that begins in stillness and slowly accumulates tension, leading the sonic material to a point of saturation and wear.
Duración: 15:00
Mutare II – for orchestra and piano (2015)
Mutare II – 3 mov. (Mutation)
for orchestra and piano
2015
The term mutare refers to the act of changing or transforming. The work begins from a minimal intervallic material, built through the superposition and displacement of scales formed by two intervals. Throughout the piece, this initial material gradually expands and transforms, like a small organism that grows, develops, and becomes more complex, generating new harmonic and melodic configurations over the course of the work.
Fase - for B♭ clarinet, vibraphone, piano, and violin. (2014)
Fase (Phase)
for B♭ clarinet, vibraphone, piano, and violin
2014
The term phase refers to elements of the same nature within a system formed by multiple components. The work is built from a shared musical structure based on scales combined one on top of another. From this structure, fragments are taken to form the musical material for each instrument. These phases are organized and reorganized throughout the musical discourse.
Duration: ca. 9 minutos
Press
CONARTE PRESENTS THE NEW GENERATION OF THE CENTRO DE COMPOSITORES DE NUEVO LEÓN – 2025
On this occasion, the Centro de Compositores will be coordinated by composer Rafael Amaya Motomochi, professor at the Faculty of Music of the Autonomous University of Nuevo León.
iNTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF FILM AND MUSIC - 2025
Winners of the Remus Georgescu Composition Competition! - 2025
Reopening of the Silvestre Revueltas Auditorium – 2025
The Faculty of Music at UANL invites you to the concert “Hoy fue un día soleado… y no se olvida”
Villarreal Obras de: Paredes, Revueltas, Motomochi y Gómez-Pinzón
Creación Sonora FAMUS with Rafael Motomochi – 2025
Creación Sonora FAMUS is an artistic and cultural program dedicated to showcasing the compositional work of current students and alumni of the Faculty of Music UANL
Electroacoustic Music Concert – 6th Anniversary of CEIIDA (2025)
Electroacoustic Music Concert of the FAMUS Composition Department. Participation with the work The Last Minutes of Life.
1º Lugar en el XIV International Competition of Creativity Music AMD ELECTRONICS, Moscú Rusia - 2024
The Last Minutes of Life, winning work in the category Musical Composition / Sound Art.
Motomochi, PECDA Nuevo León Award Recipient – 2024
Award-winning project.
The Contamination: An orchestral work composed for the UANL Sinfonietta.
From this project, the work Azufre was composed.
85th Anniversary of the Faculty of Music at UANL – 2024
Composer Rafael Motomochi took part in the Gala Concert of Mozart’s Requiem for the 85th anniversary of the Faculty of Music at UANL with his work La Marioneta.
Inaugural Concert of the Colegio Neoleonés de Compositores de Música de Concierto A.C. – 2023
The concert titled “Resonancias entre valles y montañas” offers a journey through recently created compositions for string quartet, emerging from our sociopolitical, cultural, and natural context.
Q-Sión Regional Tour – 2023
Works to be performed: works by João Pedro Oliveira (PT) and Rafael Motomochi (MX)
45 Foro internacion de musica nueva manuel enriquez - 2023
FAMUS Professor Receives International Award for Musical Creativity – 2022
With a work created during the pandemic, UANL professor and composer Rafael Amaya Motomochi won first place in the musical creativity and electronics competition organized in Moscow, Russia.
1st Place in the 12th International Music and Electronics Creativity Competition – 2022
Murmullos, winning work in the category Music Composition / Sound Design.
Musical Projects Developed at the Centro de Compositores de Nuevo León – 2018
Rafael Amaya Motomochi participated in the development of musical projects at the Centro de Compositores de Nuevo León, a CONARTE initiative focused on supporting contemporary music creation
Creators from Nuevo León Honored at the CONARTE Awards 2018
Motomochi Honored as a Member of the Centro de Compositores de Nuevo León.
Contact
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