UE composers from Brazil

Flo Menezes (São Paulo, 1962) is considered one of the leading composers of his generation. With a solid work in several genres – orchestral music, opera, chamber music, mixed electroacoustic music, acousmatic music, works for choir, solo instruments with or without interaction with electronics in real time and deferred time –, he is the holder of several international awards: TRIMALCA (1993), Ars Electronica (1995), Luigi Russolo (1996), Sérgio Motta Prize (2002), Bolsa Vitae (2003), Diapason d'Or (2006), Giga-Hertz-Preis (2007; this one with P. Boulez, W. Rihm and H. Vaggione in the International Jury), etc.

His work has been premiered at Carnegie Hall in NY and in important theaters around the world, and his music has been performed at international festivals and by renowned ensembles and orchestras: Ensemble Recherche, Ictus, New Century Players, Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain, SWR Vokalensemble and Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, Arditti String Quartett, Contrechamps, Contemporary Chamber Players NY, Plural Ensemble Madrid, Sond'Ar-Te Electric Ensemble Lisbon, London Sinfonietta, PIAP (São Paulo), Collegium Novum Zürich, Les Percussions de Strasbourg, NYNME (New York New Music Ensemble), Camerata Aberta, OSESP, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich etc.

Since 1983 (at the age of 21), Flo Menezes has defined his music as maximalist, even before the New Complexity fad came to the fore. His music is built on a 5-Pointed-Star by which the composer defines 5 fundamental elements of composition: materials, variations, directionalities, connections and craftsmanship.

Since the 1980s, he has been developing techniques of musical writing with which he has been working: cyclic modules, proportional projections, pronunciation-form, rhythmic rotations, durative writing, etc.

As a theorist, he is the author of about 20 books, published in Brazil and Europe, such as the internationally awarded book on the work of L. Berio in 1990. He was a composition student of Willy Corrêa de Oliveira (1980-85) at the University of São Paulo (USP) and of Hans Humpert at the Studio für elektronische Musik in Cologne (1986-90), Germany, and took courses with Boulez (1988), Berio (1989), Pousseur (supervisor of his PhD in 1987-92), Ferneyhough (1995) and Stockhausen (1998), of whom he became teaching assistant at the Stockhausen Kurse in Kürten in 1999 and 2001.

He is Full Professor of Electroacoustic Music, founder and director of the main studio of the genre in Latin America: the Studio PANaroma, of Unesp (State University of São Paulo).

There are several entries about the composer in important encyclopedias, as those two below:

1) Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart: Allgemeine Enzyklopädie der Musik

Article by Ralph Paland: Personenartikel "Menezes, Flo", in: Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart: Allgemeine Enzyklopädie der Musik, 2., neubearbeitete Auflage, Hg. Ludwig Finscher, Supplement, Bärenreiter/Metzler, Kassel/Stuttgart, 2008, pp. 546-547. ISBN (Supplement): 978-3-7618-1139-9.

2) "Flo Menezes"

Long analytical essay (in German) on the composer and his works (26 pages) by Ralph Paland, in: KdG – Komponisten der Gegenwart, edition text + kritik im Richard Boorberg Verlag, Lieferung vom Juni 2014:

http://www.nachschlage.NET/document/17000000906

Website: www.flomenezes.mus.br

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtmMj33DT6JvUGpNdvQ0zfg

Jorge Antunes was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1942. He began his musical studies in 1958 and in 1960 joined the National School of Music of the University of Brazil (current UFRJ), in violin class of Prof. Carlos de Almeida. In 1964 began the course of composition and conducting in the same school, studying with Henrique Morelembaum, José Siqueira and Eleazar de Carvalho. Simultaneously he followed the course of composition of Guerra Peixe in Pró-Arte of Rio de Janeiro.

           In 1961, he began to take an interest in electronic music, at the same time that he entered the Physics course of the National Faculty of Philosophy (FNFi). After building several generators, filters, modulators and other electronic equipment, Antunes founded the Studio of Chromo-Musical Researches, standing out since then like precursor of the electronic music in Brazil. In 1962 he composed the first Brazilian work made exclusively with electronic sounds: Valsa Sideral. From 1966 he began to stand out as one of the most representative names of the Brazilian musical avant-garde and participates in several national and international festivals.

           In 1965 he began important research on the correspondence between sounds and colors and composed a series of works called Chromoplastophonies, for orchestras, magnetic tapes, lights, also using the senses of smell, taste and touch.

           In 1967 he was invited by the Villa-Lobos Institute of Rio de Janeiro to organize his Center for Music Research and was appointed Professor of Electroacoustic Music of the same Institute, where he taught composition classes and where he transferred his laboratory. Between 1965 and 1968 he participated intensively in the avant-garde artistic movements of Rio de Janeiro, presenting his Chromoplastophonies and their Ambientes (Environments) in plastic arts salons and integrating the precursor group of the so-called process-poem.

           In 1969 he won a scholarship for postgraduate studies in composition at the Torcuato Di Tella Institute in Buenos Aires, as winner of the biennial competition that selected a composer from each country of the Americas to study at the Latin American Center for High Musical Studies. With the scholarship, Antunes worked for two years under the guidance of Alberto Ginastera, Luis de Pablo, Eric Salzman, Umberto Eco, Francisco Kröpfl and Gerardo Gandini. In 1969 and 1970 he worked at the Electronic Music Laboratory of the Torcuato Di Tella Institute in Buenos Aires.

           In 1970 he continued his research at the Sonology Institute of Utrecht University with a Dutch government grant. In Utrecht he specialized in Computer Music under the guidance of Gottfried Michael König, Greta Vermeulen, Stan Tempelars and Fritz Weiland, working with the computer Electrologica X-8. Among his important works of this period is the Music for Eight Persons Playing Things.

           In 1971/73 he won a scholarship from the French government for an advanced course at the Groupe de Recherches Musicales de l'ORTF, where he worked as a composer-trainee under the guidance of Pierre Schaeffer, Guy Reibel and François Bayle. In the same period, he began his PhD in Musical Aesthetics at the Université de Paris VIII, with Daniel Charles as his advisor.

           In June of 1973 Antunes was invited by the University of Brasília to direct the Course of Musical Composition in the Department of Music, where he was a full professor until 2011, when he retired.

           At the University he reorganized his old Electronic Music studio with professional equipment, and founded the GeMUnB (Musical Experimentation Group), a group of eight musicians specializing in contemporary music and live-electronics who toured Europe in concerts in 1975.

           In 1976/77 Antunes had another long stay in Paris with support from the University of Brasilia and a new grant from the French government to complete his doctoral thesis Son Nouveau, Nouvelle Notation.

           Between 1978 and 1989 he developed intense cultural and political activity in Brasilia, together with popular movements and intellectuals, for the democratization of the country. During this period he wrote several works politically engaged, a type of aesthetic current that he was always connected but with a vanguard musical language.           It dates from that time his famous Symphony of the Direct (Symphony of the Horns) and the controversial National Anthem Alternative (Hino to the New Brazil). During the same period he directed several musical projects at the University of Brasilia (Nucleus of Sonological Research, UnB Chamber Orchestra, Festivals of Contemporary Music, etc.) and made several trips to Europe to participate in Festivals and to conduct concerts.

           From January to July 1993 he was composer-in-residence at the UPIC Ateliers, led by Iannis Xenakis, where he worked in the field of music informatics and sound & image correspondence, composing the electronic sound tapes to be used simultaneously to the symphonic part of his new opera. In 1993 his work Idiosynchronie was awarded with the Recommendation Prize of the International Tribune of Composers of Unesco.

           Between February and May 1995, he performed a series of activities in France, participating in the Festival Présences 95, where his new work Rimbaudiannisia MCMXCV, commissioned by Radio France, was premiered.

           During the period he composed electroacoustic works, on commission, at the Electroacoustic Music Studios of the Groupe de Recherches Musicales de Paris, UPIC Ateliers de Massy and the Groupe de Expérimentation Musicale de Bourges.

           Also in 1998 he received the Estancias 1998 Award from the Ministry of Culture of the Spanish government. With this award Antunes taught master-classes at the Laboratory of Informatics and Electronic Music (LIEM) in Madrid, where he worked during the July-August period composing new electroacoustic works. In 2002, in the year that celebrated the 60th anniversary of Jorge Antunes' birth, the composer received significant tributes in various parts of the world. In June, at the invitation of the Gaudeamus Foundation in Amsterdam, Antunes was in Holland where he was honored with several monographic concerts of his works. In July 2002 Antunes was awarded the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, one of the most important honorary titles awarded by the French government. In September 2002, the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District, Brazil, granted Antunes the title of Honorary Citizen of Brasilia.

           In 2005 Jorge Antunes published, with the support of SACEM, Paris, a CD with his monumental work Cantata dos Dez Povos. In the same year he received honors in Crest, France, during the Futura Festival, in which a concert entitled Portrait Jorge Antunes was organized.

           In October 2006 his opera Olga was premiered on the official schedule of the Municipal Theater of São Paulo. In 2007, Jorge Antunes was awarded the Premio de Permanencia de la Fundación Carolina de Madrid, Spain, and received a commission of Orchestre de Flûtes Français, directed by Pierre-Yves Artaud, to compose a concert for baritone saxophone and flute orchestra. The world premiere of this work was held on March 13, 2008 at Salle Alfred Cortot in Paris. The soloist was the saxophonist Claude Delangle and the conductor was Jorge Antunes himself.

           In May 2012 Jorge Antunes was honored by the School of Music of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, during the XXVI Panorama da Música Brasileira Atual. The Festival was dedicated to the composer, for his 70 years of age. Other institutions paid tribute to him for his 70 years, promoting monographic concerts of his works: Symphonic Orchestra of the National Theater of Brasília, New Music Festival of Ribeirão Preto, Symphonic Orchestra of Porto Alegre, Thomas Jefferson House of Brasília, etc. In September-October 2012 Antunes held a concert tour in Austria, Germany and Israel, playing his works, with GEMUNB (Experimental Group of New Music of Brazil).

           In November 2012 he was awarded the Ibermusicas Prize, to be a composer-resident in Mexico, for research and composition of new work at CMMAS (Mexican Center for Music and Sound Arts). During his stay in the city of Morelia, in August-September 2013, he composed new work entitled Carta Athenagorica.

           In 2015 he received a commission from Theatro São Pedro de São Paulo, and the Instituto PensArte, to compose a new opera O Espelho (The Mirror), with a libretto by Jorge Coli. The opera The Mirror was premiered in March 2017, at Theatro São Pedro, in São Paulo.

           In October-November 2017 Jorge Antunes was a composer-resident at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, where he composed two new works: "Jeu de perles de verre", for string orchestra, and "Rituel Rouge", for theremin and lights . In the same period, he presented concerts of his works at the Embassy of Brazil, in the Groupe de Recherches Musicales series and at Cité Universitaire.

           In October 2019 his opera Olga wins international stages. The opera will open the 2019-2020 season of the Gdansk Opera House, Poland. In the same year, his new street opera O Exfakeado, a popular buffa opera, is released with humor, irreverence and criticism of the new Brazilian government of conservative ideology. In this opera the protagonists wear masks, as in the ancient Greek theater.

           In 2019, with the support of SESC of São Paulo, he develops a project for the edition of new monographic CDs with his recent works and begins the composition of a new great opera with a debut scheduled for 2022. His opera Olga is scheduled to open next season at the Baltycka Opera in Gdansk, Poland; Premiere: October, 11, 2019.

           New performances of the opera were made in Gdansk in March 2021, with a reduced audience due to the pandemic, and broadcast internationally by streaming.

           In January 2020 Jorge Antunes takes up residence in Paris, as resident composer at Cité Internationale des Arts, for having won the Icatu Arts Prize 2020 to compose his new opera Leopoldina. In August 2021 he returned to Brasilia.

Born in Caratinga (Brazil), Marcus Siqueira has an undergraduate degree in Music from the University of São Paulo. He studied with Willy Corrêa de Oliveira, who was his tutor during the undergraduate course and also afterward. 

He has been awarded important composition prizes in Brazil: 2010 FUNARTE Classical Composition Prize, 1st National Composition Competition - Sinfonia Cultura/SBMC (2000); VI Nascente Project Competition promoted by Abril Cultural and the University of São Paulo (1996); 1st Composition Competition of the XIV Brazilian Contemporary Music Bienalle (Rio de Janeiro - 2001); 1st National Arrangement Competition for Symphonic Band in Tatui, and others.

He also received three major composition fellowships in his country - FUNARTE (2008); VITAE Foundation (2003) and RioArte (2001). 

His pieces have been played in contemporary music festivals and biennales in Brazil, and by Brazilian and foreign musicians in recitals and festivals in the USA, France, Portugal, Germany, Colombia, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Turkey, Greece, Mexico and Italy. 

He has works for several formations: opera, orchestra, chamber music, madrigal, choir, and several solo pieces. He also uses multimedia and electronic resources in his works for the theatre, especially in the play BR3 by Teatro da Vertigem (2006). 

His works have been recorded by Radio Cultura Symphony Orchestra on the Paulus label (Premières – 2001), Água-Forte label (Marcus Siqueira por Gilson Antunes - guitar), SESC label (Contraluz, Ligeti +, Boulez +) and on independent record labels.

As a film composer, he has significant participation in Brazilian documentary films(Evaldo Mocarzel and Jorge Bodansky: directors). He also works with young film directors: Frederico Foroni, Bruno Torres, and others.

He taught in the Superior Music Course (EAD) of the Cantareira Faculty and now teaches free music courses in Italy, where he resides, with special emphasis on courses at institutions such as Conservatoire di Bruno Maderna (Cesena), Conservatoire di Musica Arrigo Boito (Parma) and Conservatorio di Musica Giovan Battista Martini (Bologna) one advanced Rithm studies from the Brazilian classical and popular music aspects.

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Miguel Kertsman’s compositions span music genre boundaries encompassing Symphonic, Chamber, and Vocal music for the Classical Concert Stage, as well as Theater, Experimental, Jazz, and Electronica. Works have been commissioned, performed, or recorded by artists such as mezzo-soprano Angelika Kirchschlager, guitarist John Williams, conductor Dennis Russell Davies, and orchestras including the Vienna Symphony Chamber Orchestra, the London Philharmonic, the Bruckner Orchestra Linz, São Paulo State Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra among others.

Performances of his works at venues including Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall NY, Halls at the Konzerthaus and Musikverein Vienna, Bregenz Opera Festival, Franz Liszt Festival, St. Paul's at Covent Garden, Memorial da América Latina Brazil, The United Nations, The Olympics, The World Expo, among others.

Kertsman's music has been globally released or published by Sony Classical, RCA Victor/BMG, Universal Edition, Naxos Records and other labels and publishers. Miguel Kertsman has designed post-graduate programs, curricula and courses in Composition, music production and management, holding lectures, masterclasses and colloquia at universities including Dartmouth College, Danube University Krems, Northwestern University, the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki Arts University, the Janáček Academy, and elsewhere.

In addition to his composition work, as a solo recording artist Kertsman’s progressive compositions, experimental Jazz-Rock and Global Music releases and unique keyboard playing have also earned him a place on the international scene.

Brazilian-American composer Miguel Kertsman, born in Recife in 1965, graduated from Berklee College of Music in 1986 with honours, subsequently continuing conducting studies with Attilio Poto at Boston Conservatory, and composition with Stanley Wolfe at New York’s Juilliard School.

Born in Guarulhos-São Paulo, Brazil, in 1976, Rodrigo Lima is one of the most active composers of his generation, his music has been presented at festivals and concert halls in Brazil, Latin America, Europe and the USA. His production includes orchestral music, chamber music, solo instruments, vocal music and works for choir.

In 2008, he was resident composer of the 5th International Forum of Young Composers in Paris with Ensemble Aleph. In 2015, his work Antiphonas for saxophone and ensemble premiered at the 17th World Saxophone Congress & Festival  in Strasbourg (France). In 2016, he received the order from the Festival International des Arts de Bordeaux (France) to compose the work Txury-ò: ‘caminho por onde vai o sol’ inspired by the cosmology of the Karajá Indians and dedicated to the french ensemble Proxima Centauri.

He has obtained some prizes in National and International Competitions:

·   Prize International Iberoamericano Rodolfo Halffter of Composition 2008 in Mexico.

·   Prize ‘Francisco Guerreiro Martín’ at the ‘XVII Premio Jóvenes Compositores 2006 Fundación Autor-CDMC’ in Madrid, Spain.

·   Prize for Classical Composition of the National Arts Foundation (FUNARTE) 2010 in Brazil.

·   1ºst Prize of the National Competition Camargo Guarnieri of Composition 2005 in Brazil.

·   1ºst Prize Camargo Guarnieri of Composition, Campos do Jordão International Winter Music Festival 2009 in Brazil, and others.

Lima’s Music has been performed by the Ensemble Aleph (France), Ensemble Linea (France), Proxima Centauri (France), Abstrai Ensemble (Brazil), Camerata de las Amércicas (Mexico), Sonor Ensemble (Spain), Orchestutropica (Lisboa-Portugal), Abstrai Ensemble (Brazil), Camerata Aberta (Brazil), University of São Paulo Symphony (Brazil), Claudio Santoro National Theater Symphony Orchestra (Brazil) and conductors Claudio Cruz (Brazil), Guillaume Bourgogne (France), Luis Aguirre (Spain), Cesário Costa (Portugal), Kirk Trevor (England) and Claudia Feres (Brazil). 

His main composition teachers were Estércio Marquez Cunha, Sergio Nogueira, Conrado Silva and Silvio Ferraz. Bachelor in Musical Composition Degree at the Department of Music University of Brasília and Masters in "Creative Processes" at the University of Campinas State in São Paulo. He also took courses with composers Stefano Gervasoni (Italy), Claude Ledoux (Belgium) and Emmanuel Nunes (Portugal). 

             Rodrigo Lima is teacher of composition at the 'EMESP’- School of Music of São Paulo State. Lima is a member of the General Society of Authors and Editors ‘Sociedade General de Autores y Editores (SGAE)’ in Spain.