Miguel Graça Moura

Born at Oporto (Portugal), conductor Miguel Graça Moura graduated in Piano and Composition at the Oporto National Conservatory of Music (both diplomas with the highest grade), where he became later teacher of Composition. At the same time, he graduated in Architecture. As a composer, he received international acclaim (some of his works have been played in various countries), had some pieces commissioned by international festivals like Strasburg and won first prize at Naples Festival 1986. He also worked as assistant of Portuguese minister of Education, leading the national commission that reformed the artistic education in Portugal. With the help of scholarships from Portuguese Government, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and French Government, he studied, in Strasbourg (France), Conducting with Jean-Sébastien Béreau and Musical Analysis with René Schmidt (graduating with “Premier Prix” in both courses). After he taught Orchestra, Orchestral Conducting and Chamber Music at Reims National Conservatory (France) and became assistant of his ex-teacher J.-S. Béreau. He was Musical Director of “Música Viva” Ensemble (1975 to 1980), Strasbourg University Orchestra (1982 to 1984), Grenoble University Symphony Orchestra (1984 to 1986), Portuguese Youth Orchestra (1986 to 1994), Chamber Orchestra “La Folia” (1987 to 1992) and Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra (1992 to 2003). He also founded and directed in Lisbon the four music schools related to LMO. He conducted almost all Portuguese professional orchestras and many others in the 34 countries (in Europe, America and Asia). He conducted famous soloists like Maria João Pires, Augustin Dumay and Tatiana Nikolaeva, among many others. He is member, since 2003, of the jury of “Prokofiev” International Competition for Conductors (S. Petersburg, Russia). Miguel Graça Moura has recorded over twenty CDs, published by Philips Classics, RCA Classics and EMI Classics, as conductor of various orchestras from Portugal and abroad. (from text by Miguel Graça Moura)

Cesário Costa

Cesário Costa (b. 1970) is one of the most active conductors of his generation in Portugal. He studied in Paris, where he finished his Piano Graduation, and in Germany, where he completed his Degree with the highest grade and Master’s Degree in Orchestral Conducting at Würzburg Music Academy. In 1997, he won the first prize of 3rd International Competition for Young Conductors organised by Fundação do Oriente. That same year, he received a scholarship from Bayreuth Music Festival. He has been invited to conduct many orchestras in Portugal and others such as the Royal Philharmony Orchestra, Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble für Neue Musik (Germany), Arhus Sinfonietta (Denmark), Macedonia Philharmony Orchestra, Rome Philharmony Orchestra, Sudecka Philharmony and Rzeszów Philharmony (Poland), Orquesta de Extremadura (Spain). He has performed in many countries such as Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, England, Italy, Denmark, Macedonia, Malaysia and Brazil, and appeared in several Music Festivals. His repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary, including the world première of more than seventy pieces. He collaborates on a regular bases with some of the most important concerts halls in Portugal. He was Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Espinho Classical Orchestra and Algarve Orchestra. He was awarded the medal of cultural merit by Vila Nova de Gaia’s City Hall. He is the Vice-President of the jury of the Young Musicians Prize organised by the RDP-Antena 2. Currently, he’s the President of the Board of Metropolitana/ Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra. He’s also Principal Guest-Conductor of the Algarve Orchestra, Artistic Director of the Promenade Concerts organised by Coliseu do Porto and Principal Conductor of OrchestrUtopica. (adapted from text by Cesário Costa).

Website

Martin André

British conductor Martin André went to the Yehudi Menuhin School where he studied the piano. At Cambridge University he combined playing the piano with conducting. Now as a conductor he divides his time equally between the opera house and the concert platform. Concert appearances in the UK have included the Philharmonia, BBC Concert Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia and Royal Scottish National Orchestra, among others. Abroad he works regularly with orchestras in countries such as Holland, Norway, Israel, Australia and, in Portugal, Oporto National Orchestra and Remix Contemporary Ensemble. He made his opera debut conducting for Welsh National Opera, with whom he spent many seasons as a resident conductor. During this time he worked on a wide variety of operas, particularly 19th century Italian repertoire. He continues to work across a broad range of composers, although is particularly recognised for his interpretations of Verdi, Mozart and Janáček. He has the rare distinction of being the only conductor to have performed for all the major British opera companies. Internationally he has made numerous appearances in the opera houses of Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Holland, Israel, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa and the USA. In Portugal he performed the opening concert of Casa da Música in 2005 and in 2006 he created the Youth Orchestra of Portugal, which proved to be such a success and was renamed Momentum Perpetuum. Every year since then it has played the new year’s concert in Casa da Música and in July 2008 it has toured in Italy. He also conducted the Portuguese National Symphony Orchestra, playing works by Luís Tinoco, António Pinho Vargas and Joly Braga Santos on the opening concert of the “Música Portuguesa Hoje” festival in Centro Cultural de Belém, Lisbon. (adapted from text in Martin André’s website)

Discography

Gonçalo Lourenço

Composer and conductor Gonçalo Lourenço was born in Lisbon in 1979. Active as a choral conductor, he founded the Odyssea Choir and the Coro da Universidade Lusófona in 2004, and serves as the music director of both ensembles. He has participated in conducting courses such as the First International Course of Vocal Music Luisa Todi and the Aveiro International Courses of Vocal Music where he worked with singers Claire Vangelisti and João Lourenço and Maestros António Vassalo Lourenço and Paulo Lourenço. As a composer, Lourenço has worked with Emmanuel Nunes and Guillaume Bourgnone at the 1st Gulbenkian Orchestra Workshop for Young Composers 2003 / 2004. His work “Tentativas” has been performed by the Gulbenkian Orchestra, as was the piece “Néctar”, for fourteen instruments (soloists from the same ensemble). He has also composed film music, including the soundtracks of “Pestes ao Ataque”, “Círculo Mágico” and “Com Tradição”, which he produced. Commissioned by Maestro Gunnstein Olafsson, Lourenço’s music has been performed by the Young Musicians Orchestra of Iceland. Additional commissions include “Dunego” for String Quartet and Guitar, for Brazilian guitarist Rodrigo Rios, and “Four Christmas Motets” for Maestro J.D. Goddard and the Mastersingers of Ohio. (adapted from text by Gonçalo Lourenço)

Gonçalo Lourenço's My Space page

Joana Carneiro

Joana Carneiro has attracted considerable attention as one of the most outstanding young conductors working today. She currently serves as Assistant Conductor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, working closely with Esa-Pekka Salonen, and official guest conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra. As a finalist of the prestigious 2002 Maazel-Vilar Conductor’s Competition at Carnegie Hall, she was recognized by the jury for demonstrating a level of potential that holds great promise for her future career. Since then, her profile has grown quickly both in the US and Europe and recent engagements include performances with the Gulbenkian Orchestra, her debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the New World Symphony, the Algarve Orchestra, the Mancini Institute Orchestra, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. She served as assistant conductor to Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Paris Opera’s premiere of Adriana Mater by Kaija Saariaho. She has also conducted the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, the Macau Chamber Orchestra and Beijing Orchestra at the International Musica Festival of Macau, the Portuguese National Symphony Orchestra and the Beiras Philharmonic Orchestra. In the 2007-08 season, she made her debut with the Chicago Opera Theater as Assistant Conductor for their production of A Flowering Tree. In 2004, she was decorated by the President of the Portuguese Republic, Mr. Jorge Sampaio, with the Commendation of the Order of the Infante Dom Henrique. (taken and adapted from Joana Carneiro’s webpage)

Pedro Carneiro

photo by Didier Lelièvre

Pedro Carneiro is one of the very few percussion players to have made an international career as a soloist, and has established himself as one of the world's foremost solo percussionists, performing regularly throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. Now at the age of 32, Carneiro has commissioned and performed the world première of over 80 works by leading composers worldwide and appears regularly with a wide range of acclaimed musicians, including the Arditti and Tokyo Quartets, Christian Lindberg and Steve Reich. Carneiro appears regularly as a soloist/director, conducting from the marimba keyboard – he is the chief conductor of the Portuguese Chamber Orchestra, the “Orchestra in Residence” at the Centro Cultural de Bélem, Lisbon. As an instrumentalist, Pedro is a frequent guest soloist with numerous orchestras, such as the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, working with conductors such as Petri Sakari, John Neschling, Ronald Zollman, Gerard Schwarz, Kaspar de Roo, Olari Elts, Andrew Parrott, Juanjo Mena, José Ramón Encinar, John Storgards, Joseph Swensen and Marc Taddei amongst others. (written by Teresa Simas – complete biography to be found in Pedro Carneiro’s website)

Eurico Carrapatoso's "Suite d'Aquém e d'Além Mar ", 1st movement, by Pedro Carneiro conducting from the marimba keyboard the Orquestra de Câmara de Cascais e Oeiras: