INTERVIEW WITH IRENE CANTOS

Irene Cantos is the composer selected as the winner of our 2026 composition commission call, in which 30 Spanish women composers participated. Originally from Albacete, Irene is not only a composer but also a pianist and music producer. She currently lives in Helsinki, Finland, where she is completing her master’s degree in composition. Her interests revolve around the dialogue between Renaissance and contemporary music, combined with electroacoustic techniques.

Today on the blog we bring you the interview we conducted with her so you can get to know her a little better. Here we go!

1. Tell us, Irene. When and how did you discover music?

I was very young, around two years old, and I was fascinated by the film Dumbo. We all know that surreal and dreamlike Disney scene, quite unusual in their filmography. Somehow, the ghostly images of the elephants—contrasting and distorted colors synchronized with the fanfare music—were striking. The scene presents an altered state with its own iconographic fantasy; something about it captivated me.

2. You are currently studying a master’s degree in composition at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki. What other institutions and places have shaped your musical training?

I began studying piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music and Dance in my hometown, Albacete. I spent the first ten years of my musical education there. Later, I studied a Bachelor’s Degree in Performance at UAX, graduating in 2019. Since then, I have been working in the world of film, music production, and performance, which has also been an enormous source of learning.

3. Your main instrument is the piano, and as a performer you’ve had an interesting trajectory. Do you still maintain your activity as a pianist today?

Right now, I am fully immersed in composition, since I had never had the opportunity or the time to focus on it. I want to give myself that time to compose and to learn about Early Music performance as well, without worrying too much about my activity as a pianist. I’m convinced I will find a way to balance both facets in an equitable way.

4. One could say your artistic profile is multidisciplinary, since you are not only a pianist and composer, but you also carry out music production projects and have studies in artificial intelligence and data science. What weight does each of these disciplines have in your life today? What relevance would you like them to have in the future?

I’ve always had many interests throughout my life—several open windows and the curiosity to explore them. With experience, I’m beginning to recognize the pieces that fit together and to see that everything learned can be applied transversally. In that sense, I don’t consider myself an expert in anything, because as you mention, I haven’t limited myself to a single discipline. But at the same time, I think this opens up professional possibilities. For obvious reasons, I can’t cover all areas at the same pace. In fact, I have to make an effort to create empty spaces, breaks, and pauses so I can reconnect with focus afterward. At the moment, even with a high workload and level of demand, I try to pace myself so I can gain free time—read and write, go to exhibitions and concerts, and nourish myself with the most unexpected things.

5. At Lítore Quartet, supporting contemporary composers has always been a priority, especially those who are beginning their careers. This year, we decided to support specifically the community of national women composers. Throughout your journey as a composer, have you felt supported by initiatives that foster your professional development? Have you felt valued and supported by the social context around you?

Honestly, the person who has generated the most doubts and demanded the most from me has been myself. I’ve been lucky to be born in a time and in a family where I’ve been able to choose—with greater or lesser freedom, but I’ve been able to choose, which is no small thing. My relationship with composition has been somewhat enigmatic, hidden, or hermetic. When I was little, the respect and idealization that “grown-ups” showed toward composers (female composers—few or none I knew) was such that I didn’t even allow myself to imagine that I could also create music. Without a doubt, being accepted into the Sibelius Academy is an important turning point in my career—if not the most important so far. I’m grateful that calls like yours exist because they offer the opportunity to continue building in a professional and dignified environment.

6. We are very excited to begin this new project with you. What expectations do you have for this project with Lítore Quartet? What would you like to take away from this experience?

It is definitely a project that motivates me. Not only because I get to work hand in hand with excellent musicians like you, but also because it is the first project in which I consciously open a line of research exploring the Renaissance period and its parallels with the present.

7. In Lítore, we especially enjoy being part of the creative process of the works and establishing connections beyond the musical with the people we work with. What do you think of this working philosophy? Do you believe it enriches the compositional process, or could it limit your expression as a composer?

Creation is an individual process, which means that much of the work happens through internal reflection. But this does not conflict with the interaction of other people who, if a dialogue in good harmony is fostered, can enrich the process as a whole. Everything surrounding a new creation can become a generative element, depending on the degree of resonance with the latent idea.

8. What steps do you follow when composing a new work? Do you always use the same methodology, or do you use a different creative process for each piece?

I don’t compose with any specific methodology. Each composition is a blank page where no predetermined paths or formulas exist. The way I end up arriving at the final “object” is always different.

9. How would you define yourself as a composer in three words?

I don’t define myself.

10. What are your artistic projects for the year 2026? What dreams would you like to fulfill in the coming years?

In addition to this beautiful project with you, which we will be able to enjoy in the Cathedral of Tui, I have other parallel works in mind that include organ and electronics. On the other hand, I am also working on a joint project with Studio Canthier in which artistic creation and historical research go hand in hand. In it, I am responsible for exploring and designing the sonic concept using electroacoustic music techniques.