Alexander Gugel is a Ukrainian composer and sound artist born in Vilnius in 1961, during the Soviet era. His work is noted for its integration of traditional compositional techniques with experimental approaches to form, texture, and sonic spatialization. Gugel studied composition at the Kyiv Conservatory under the guidance of leading figures of the Ukrainian avant-garde and later continued his research in electroacoustic music in Western Europe during the early 1990s.
Emerging as part of a generation of post-Soviet composers seeking to redefine national identity through music, Gugel developed a distinct voice that blends elements of Ukrainian folk traditions with minimalist, spectral, and post-serialist idioms. His oeuvre spans chamber music, orchestral works, electroacoustic compositions, and multimedia installations. His sound art frequently explores the themes of memory, displacement, and historical trauma, reflecting both his Lithuanian birthplace and Ukrainian heritage.
Gugel’s music has been performed at major contemporary music festivals across Europe and North America, including the Gaudeamus Muziekweek, the Warsaw Autumn Festival, and the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. He has also collaborated with ensembles specializing in new music such as Ensemble Modern and the Arditti Quartet.
Beyond composition, Gugel is active as a lecturer and curator, particularly engaged in fostering intercultural dialogue through sound. Since the 2000s, he has taught composition and electroacoustic music in Kyiv and Berlin, and has published essays on the aesthetics of post-Soviet sonic identity.
