Alba S. Torremocha, the young Spanish composer who emigrated to the US and has returned to create the soundtrack for 'Los futbolísimos 2'

At the age of five, Alba S. Torremocha (Salamanca, 32) already had a violin in her hands. By seven, she was playing it at the Professional Music Conservatory in her city. But what truly fascinated her was understanding what came out of its core. “I was more interested in counterpoint and harmony than spending four or five hours playing the violin every day,” she recalls. She studied Technological Sciences at a high school, a “deal” to avoid upsetting her parents, but at the same time she began to alternate the bow with the baton. She enrolled at Musikene—the Advanced Music Center of the Basque Country—to study composition, and at just 20, she decided to move to the United States to specialize in film music composition at New York University (NYU) .

He never returned to Spain: he stayed to dedicate himself to composing film music in one of the epicenters of the audiovisual industry. He premiered several pieces for short films there, but this summer he returned to Spain to present his first major project here: the soundtrack for Los futbolísimos 2 , the second installment of the big-screen adaptation of Roberto Santiago's book series, one of the biggest young adult literature phenomena of recent years. The film opens in Spanish theaters this Friday, directed by Miguel Ángel Lamata.

Question: Why did you decide to study and work in New York?

Answer: I can tell you the exact moment I Googled: what's the best place to study film music? I thought if I applied to the best university in the world to study this and they valued me and accepted me, it would be another push to pursue this.

Q. There were no Spanish universities on that list?

A. No. In a higher conservatory, for example, which is the normal route if you study music, you are more focused on playing .

Q. Is there a lack of interest in film composition in Spain?

A. There's no representation. You can count on one hand the number of well-known Spanish composers working in this field here.

Q. What do you attribute this to? With 303 feature films last year, Spain is the second-largest European country in production.

A. We don't hear much about composition; the press doesn't cover it. And that results in fewer children wanting to pursue this profession, fewer opportunities, fewer schools...

Q. It's not a profession particularly devoted to fame, is it?

A. If what you want is fame, the worst thing you can do is be a film composer because when you've done your job excellently, that's when it's least noticeable.

Q. How did your collaboration on Los futbolísimos 2 come about?

A. It was a long time ago, when I was playing in the Salamanca Youth Symphony Orchestra, that composer Fernando Velázquez conducted us one day. I told him I was interested in composing. When I went to the United States, we kept in touch, and he's become a friend. And he told the producers about me.

Q. What was it like working with Miguel Ángel Lamata , the director?

A delight . We understood each other perfectly from the very beginning.

Q. Is it difficult for this to happen?

A. The basics are usually understood very quickly, but there is a very subtle subtext that is sometimes more difficult.

Q. Is the scope for creativity usually limited in these types of projects?

A. Everyone is unique. Sometimes everything gets a little mixed up, and the producers have opinions, the director has another, and you're stuck in the middle... I like the negotiation or conversation between the composer and the director, having two creative ideas that ultimately have to come together.

Q. Has it been difficult to make your voice heard as such a young woman?

A. Yes, being a woman and young makes it more difficult. The first thought people have, especially when you're working with an orchestra with older people, is: "Who's going to teach me?" It happened to me when I recorded the soundtrack for Los futbolísimos. It's not a big deal, it's a bit cultural too, but I think internationally, if you're a young woman, it's assumed you don't have much of an idea of what you're talking about.

Q. Nothing's happening? Has it had any impact on your career?

A. I'll never say I feel discriminated against for being a woman. The truth is, you never know what projects aren't going to land you; you don't hear about them.

Q. You've done projects about the reality of immigration in the US or about apartheid ... never something for children, never a comedy like this.

A. The first thing Miguel Ángel, the director, told me was: “I don't want this to have children's music. This is a film where the protagonists are children, but the emotions and adventures they go through are completely real.” It's a soundtrack for adults.

Q. How did you construct that music?

R. We've taken everything to the extreme, which is what creates the contrast and makes the comedy stand out more.

Q. What has it been like working with the orchestra?

A: In the US, I learned to be very efficient. We had two and a half days of rehearsal for 87 minutes. And on the first day, the sound engineer pulled me aside and said, "Hey, Alba, if we keep going at this pace, we'll finish the entire soundtrack today, and we've booked the orchestra for two days."

Q. Are there other differences between the two worlds?

A. Yes, in the idiosyncrasies of the job. In Spain, for example, you pass an exam and that's it. It's noticeable that many of those orchestras that have had permanent positions for years are deteriorating because people get the position at 20 and by 50 they're no longer at the same level. In the US, they do an audition every three months, and if you're not the best, you're not there. Results and always being at that top level are valued much more.

Q. Have you achieved a balance between demands and quality of life?

A. I now want to focus more on quality projects, less quantity, and a more relaxed lifestyle. That's why I just moved from New York to Austin, Texas.

Q. Your generation faces a future dominated by AI. Do you think this poses a threat to your jobs?

A. I see it as a tool. Fear has never yielded anything positive. It's going to come, and we can't do anything to change it. Our job as artists, instead of complaining, is to use it to our advantage.

Q. Do you already do this?

A. I use it for things that aren't creative, but that give me more time to create. Instead of spending an hour budgeting, I can do it in ten minutes.

Q. The whole idiosyncrasy of speed and efficiency that you talk about in the US seems to fit very well with AI.

A. Art is an expression of the human being, not an execution of something. Only human beings can express themselves. Everything will evolve, and we'll have to adapt, but I don't see it as a threat.