He honed his compositional voice at the Royal Academy of Music in London, studying under Helen Grime and Rubens Askenar, supported by an ABRSM scholarship. There, he graduated with first-class honors and quickly began earning recognition on the international stage. His orchestral work was awarded the PRIX ÉLAN 2024 in Paris, receiving unanimous acclaim from jury, orchestra, and audience. Other accolades include the WCSMS Promising Young Composers Competition (Philadelphia) and the Eric Coates Prize (London).

Arnau’s music has been championed by groups like the Orchestre National d’Île-de-France, Uusinta Ensemble (Finland), Bent Frequency (Atlanta, USA), Locrian Chamber Players (New York, USA), Camerata Eduard Toldrà (Vilanova i la Geltrú, Catalonia), and the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (Switzerland).

Brichs employs synthesizers of all kinds to shape and transform recorded sounds in real time. His work explores how we hear and experience music at an emotional level, introducing concepts like “aural deepfakes,” “presence,” and “invisible electronics” to rethink the boundaries between live and electronic sound. Many of his software tools are freely available and enjoy a wide user base around the world. Arnau also works in film, contributing as both a composer and orchestrator.

Arnau began his musical journey with jazz piano mentorship under Chano Domínguez and Marina Albero, and classical training at the IEA Oriol Martorell in Barcelona. As a performer, he has appeared at venues such as the Ateneu Barcelonès, Fundació Joan Miró (Festival Lluerna), CaixaForum Barcelona, UTOPIA 46, and the International Music Festival of Cadaqués.

Currently, he is a Composer in Residency at the prestigious IRCAM institute in Paris, which will lead to the premiere of a new work for oboe, symphonic orchestra and electronics, with Orchestre national d’Île-de-France in Festival ManiFeste. Future projects include a short opera commissioned by the Liceu Opera House in Barcelona.