Manuel Alcaraz Clemente

The percussionist Manuel Alcaraz Clemente is especially known for his striking expressiveness as a performer. As a soloist, chamber musician and ensemble percussionist he specializes in the interpretation of new music and has given the world premieres of numerous works.

His performances encompass pieces in a variety of genres. His versatility is demonstrated through activities ranging from the interpretation of pieces by Iannis Xenakis, Helmut Lachenmann and Franco Donatoni, to collaborations with young composers who have garnered international acclaim for their innovative pieces and performance concepts, to performative and improvisational performances. He has developed various projects for his solo concerts, such as Silence must beat (2015), Interieur (2018) and An Elemental Thing (2020), and has launched formats such as ON:DRUMS that explore the diverse usages of the drum set in contemporary music.

Since 2016 Manuel Alcaraz Clemente has been a member of the Graz-based Schallfeld Ensemble, from 2023 to 2025 he performed in the ensemble KONTRASTE and since 2025 he has been a member of the ensemble PHACE. Alongside his work in these groups, he performs regularly with ensembles such as the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, Der Gelbe Klang, NAMES, the Ensemble Zeitfluss, Cantando Admont and Klangforum Wien.

He has appeared at various international festivals, including the Lucerne Festival, the Salzburg Festival, steirischer herbst, Wien Modern, Klangspuren Schwaz, the Warsaw Autumn Festival, the Darmstadt Summer Courses, the Festival Afekt in Tallinn, the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and the Festival Internacional de Música de Canarias.

As a sought-after teacher, he gives masterclasses and workshops for young composers and percussionists at various universities and conservatories in Austria, Portugal, Spain and Slovenia. Since 2019 he is also a Marimba One™ Educational Artist.

Manuel Alcaraz Clemente was born in Spain and studied at the Escuela Superior de Música de Cataluña in Barcelona and the Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espectáculo in Porto. He went on to study Performance Practice in Contemporary Music at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz.