CÁRDENAS, Alexandra

Alexandra Cárdenas is a Colombian composer, sound artist, programmer, improviser and live coder. She was born in Bogotá in 1976 and is currently based in Berlin. She studied composition and classical guitar at the University of the Andes in Bogotá, graduating in 2000, and later earned a Master’s degree in Sound Studies and Sonic Arts from the Berlin University of the Arts.
Cárdenas is regarded as a pioneer of live coding in Latin America. Her work explores the intersections of music, computer code and digital technology, with a particular focus on algorithmic composition, improvisation and the creation of electronic music in real time. During performances, she uses open-source programming environments such as SuperCollider and TidalCycles to write and modify the algorithms generating the music. She has also helped establish live-coding communities, including TOPLAP Mexico and TOPLAP Berlin, and regularly performs and teaches internationally.
Alongside her live-coded and electroacoustic work, Cárdenas has composed music for instrumental ensembles and collaborated on interdisciplinary and immersive projects combining sound, code and visual media.