Igor C Silva is a Portuguese composer and live-electronics performer based in Amsterdam. Born in Porto, his work combines acoustic writing with electronics, improvisation and multimedia, often treating performers and technology as responsive partners rather than fixed layers. He studied composition at ESMAE in Porto, completed a master’s degree in composition and music theory in 2013, and later earned a master’s in live electronics at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in 2017. He is also pursuing doctoral research and teaches composition at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.
His catalogue includes collaborations with ensembles and orchestras across Europe, while his projects frequently explore real-time interaction, visual elements and the expressive agency of electronic sound. Early recognition included selection as Casa da Música’s Young Composer in Residence in 2012, the Miso Music Portugal Prize in 2015, and a residency with Drumming GP in 2018–2019. Alongside notated composition, Silva performs electronics himself, allowing improvisation to remain central to the music’s structure.
On 16 October 2026, the Donaueschinger Musiktage presents the world premiere of Tomorrow’s Next Bliss, commissioned by SWR for improvising soloists, orchestra and electronics. Written for trumpeter Susana Santos Silva, the work brings her together with Igor C Silva, the SWR Experimentalstudio and the SWR Symphony Orchestra under Brad Lubman. Its focus on hope, change and equilibrium extends his ongoing inquiry into how acoustic and electronic performers can shape a work collectively in real time.