Mexican composer wins international competition in Serbia

Oscar Iván González Fabela, a graduate student from the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua (UACH), won first place in the XIII International Piano Competition ULJUS held in Smederevo, Serbia. Competing in the Acoustic Music Composition category, González Fabela earned a score of 96 points for his work titled ‘TLALOC (String Quartet No. 1)’.

The competition, endorsed by the Alink-Argerich Foundation and organized by The Arts Appreciation Society, required a minimum score of 95 points for first-prize eligibility. The winning piece is inspired by the Aztec rain deity, Tlaloc, and utilizes microtonalism and extended techniques to bridge pre-Hispanic tradition with contemporary sound.

The international jury included Branka Popović, Dorotea Vejnović, and Maja Bosnić. González Fabela finished ahead of second-place winner Wook-Yong Jeon from South Korea and third-place winner Marilena Zlatanou from Norway.