Carlos Grätzer was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1956.
He was given his musical training by his father, the Austrian-Argentine composer Guillermo Graetzer, who had been a student of Paul Hindemith.
For a few years, Carlos Grätzer worked in the fields both of cinema (animated films) and music. He has dedicated himself exclusively to music since 1980.
In 1984, he received a scholarship from the French government and came to Paris, where he has settled. There, he continued his studies at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique de Paris. He also studied with André Boucourechliev and has participated in master class of Helmut Lachemmann, Klaus Huber, Pierre Boulez, Franco Donatoni, as well as in the training course of the Upic -CEMAMU-. He was invited to the Summer course of Darmstadt in 1986 and in 1989, he participated in the Computer Music Session for Composers at the IRCAM. In 1995 and 1999 he was invited to the Composers Conference at Wellesley College, USA.
Carlos Grätzer has received many awards; in particular the Buenos Aires City award “Premio Municipal of Buenos Aires”. He was a prize-winner at the 19th and 26th International Electroacoustic Music Competition in Bourges (1991 and 1999), and a finalist at the Boston University’s ALEA III, International Composition Competition. In 1995, the International Music Council of UNESCO recommended his work Failles fluorescents, at the International Rostrum of Composers. In addition, Aura (par-delà les resonances) for trumpet and 11 instruments was selected for the World Music Days 2000 (ISCM Luxembourg) and won the Concerto Competition of the Symposium Franco-European de la Trompette.
Of his catalog may be mentioned: Découvertes (1985) commissioned by the French Ministry of the Culture, premiered by the “Ensemble 2e2m” at the Georges Pompidou Centre; Failles fluorescents (1991) commissioned by the “UPIC” for the 70th anniversary of Iannis Xenakis, premiered at Radio France; Desarraigo premiered by Roberto Aussel (guitar); Mouvements (1993) premiered by Ensemble Alea at the Tsai Performance Center, Boston University, U.S.A.; Aura (par-delà les résonances) (1996) commissioned by Radio France and premiered by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France, it was subsequently played at the World Music
The years 2014-2015, were marked by an interest of the composer in the orchestra. Consequently, two orchestral pieces came into being. The first one, Etincelles, for wind orchestra, commissioned by French Republican Gard (Garde Républicaine de France), which was premiered on January 2015 and the second one, Éclaboussures du temps, for symphony orchestra, commissioned by Radio France for the “National Orchestra of France”.