Drawing upon influences as diverse as Josquin, Byrd, Stravinsky, George Crumb and Arvo Pärt, his music has been described as possessing a “luminous beauty” with “a profound sacred sensibility” and as “a modern evocation of the radiant spirituality of ancient chant.”

His catalog includes works in nearly all genres, with a special emphasis on a cappella sacred choral works.

                                                         

He has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and California Arts Council, and his awards include Second Prize in the Foundation for Sacred Arts Music International Composition Competition, ASCAP Young Composers Award, and Grand Prize in the Vanguard Voices Choral Competition. 

His music is available through his publishers, Boosey & Hawkes, Walton, and Santa Barbara Music Publishers, and directly from the composer.  La Rocca has been Professor of music composition and theory at CSU East Bay since 1981, and is an Artistic Director and past Executive Director of Composers, Inc. of San Francisco.