Born in 1976 in Altdorf (Uri, Switzerland). Following his undergraduate studies he began a postgraduate course in musicology and German philology at the University of Basel. On graduating he continued with further musical studies in composition under the tuition of Roland Moser und Detlev Müller-Siemens at the Basel College of Music, where he received a diploma with distinction in composition and music theory. Already during his studies he undertook intensive teaching activities at Lucerne College of Music; he has lectured in music theory and composition since the summer of 2001. He has also been the faculty head of the Contemporary Music Department since 2004 where he developed a major new course in Contemporary Art Performance (in collaboration with the Lucerne Festival Academy/Pierre Boulez). In this position he worked with Sofia Gubaidulina, Peter Eötvös, George Benjamin and Georg Friedrich Haas. In 2011 he was appointed professor of composition and music theory and member of the Institute of Music Research at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel. In 2001 he was Composer of the Week at the European Month of Music in Basel, where his piano concerto Schöllenen had its world premiere. He received several commissions from the Swiss cultural foundation Pro Helvetia and the Swiss Association of Musicians. He collaborates with renowned interpreters and ensembles such as the Bavarian Radio Orchestra (under Martyn Brabbins), Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Orchestra des Pays de Savoie, Musikkollegium Winterthur, Mondrian Ensemble Basel, Ensemble Phoenix Basel, Ensemble Mosaik Berlin, Ensemble Ascolta Stuttgart, New Vocal Soloists Stuttgart and Klangforum Wien. His music has been featured at numerous festivals worldwide, including Lucerne, Cologne, Witten, Warsaw Autumn, Berlin, Munich, Graz, London, Cork, Madrid, Bucharest, Montreal, São Paulo and Beijing. He is the recipient of several prizes such as the musica viva BMW Composition Prize in Munich and the Art Mentor Foundation. In 2012 his chamber opera Im Bau was premiered at the Lucerne Festival and the Basel Theatre, directed by Georges Delnon. His newer works are published by Ricordi Munich.

In addition to his practical activities, Michel Roth researches and publishes on various music-theoretical subjects, including as musical curator of the interdisciplinary exhibition projects Harmonie und Dissonanz (2006) and Linea (2011) in collaboration with the Kunsthaus Zug.

 

Selected works: Schöllenen for large ensemble (2001), verinnerung for piano trio (2001), erschöpfung for string trio (2003), Quellmund for oboe and string trio (2004), Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd for flute, piano and percussion (2005), Die auf dich zurückgreifende Zeit for six voices and ensemble (2006), Töne oder Tiere for natural horn (2006), Trois Têtes de Giacometti for percussion (2007), molasse vivante for instrumental ensemble (2007), Der Spaziergang for two baritones and orchestra (2007), PESSOA for nine voices and eight instruments (2008), Räuber-Fragmente for reciter, improviser and three instruments (2010), Im Bau, chamber opera for female voice, ensemble and electronics (2011), rebotco for orchestra (2012), MOI for large ensemble (2013).