Eli Camargo Júnior was born in São Vicente, state of São Paulo, Brazil, in 1956.
He studied classical guitar with Henrique Pinto, graduating from the Faculty of Music of Santos, and began his solo career and in chamber groups, at concerts in Brazil and Portugal. He has given concerts in venues such as the Municipal Theater of Santos, Theater of the Art Museum of São Paulo, Sala Aylton Escobar, Noble Hall of the National Conservatory of Lisbon, Portuguese Authors' Society –
Lopes-Graça: National Celebrations of the 80 Years, making the debut of the
Rustic Suite, for flute and guitar. He participated in seminars with Abel Carlevaro, and during two years he made an internship in
Virtuosity and Contemporary Portuguese Music at the National Conservatory of Lisbon, under the guidance of Prof.
José António Lopes e Silva – performing solo concerts by composers such as
Filipe Pires,
Clotilde Rosa and
Jorge Peixinho.
He studied choral and orchestral direction at several seminars and intensive courses in Brazil, at the Campos do Jordão Winter Festival, with Michel Philippot and Hugh Ross, in Portugal with Robert Houlihan, in Spain, Lérida, with Josep Prats and Erwin List; in Alcalá de Henares with Arturo Tamayo. He founded and directed amateur and student choirs in Brazil and Portugal: Choir of the Municipal Conservatory of Cubatão (São Paulo), Choir of ANPEB (Alverca, PT), Chamber Choir of the Orfeão de Leiria School of Music; having conducted them in concerts during several years.
He completed a Bachelor's Degree and a Degree in Composition at the Music College in Lisbon, where he studied with José Carlos Bonaccorso,
Christopher Bochmann and
António Pinho Vargas. He received a PhD in Composition from the University of Évora, where he was supervised by
Christopher Bochmann and Vanda de Sá (thesis:
Chamber Music and Synchronism. Notational Strategies).
Eli Camargo Jr. became resident in Portugal in 1985, and since then he has actively participated in teaching music as a teacher of Guitar, Analysis and Composition Techniques and Chamber Music, at the following schools: Castelo Branco Regional Conservatory, Torres Novas Music School, Orfeão de Leiria, Fundão Music and Dance Academy, Canto Firme de Tomar Music School.
As music teacher he created several projects, supported and monitored by the Ministry of Education, with the emphasis on the Chamber Music discipline:
Non-Conventional Sets and
School Network, with the participation of Music Schools from Fundão, Tomar and the Castelo Branco Regional Conservatory;
The four corners of the House, CCB Music Days and
Acoustic Interface for a Monument at the Jerónimos Monastery, in addition to concerts by the advanced students at the Vieira da Silva, Chiado and Mãe D’Água Amoreiras Museums.
During three consecutive years he created and directed the Chamber Music Courses at the Music and Dance School of Fundão, which he then taught with Prof.
Olga Prats.
He taught Chamber Music and Music Didactics at the Piaget Institute, Almada Campus.
Since 1999 he has been a professor at the Music School of the National Conservatory in Lisbon teaching disciplines such as Analysis and Composition Techniques and Chamber Music. At the invitation of the Board of this School, he came to implement the Basic Composition Course, in the context of which he teaches Composition and Analysis of Performance Techniques.
Presenting his compositions since 2004, his music has been performed, published and recorded in Portugal and Brazil. His music has been performed by instrumentalists and ensembles, such as the
Lisbon Contemporary Music Group or the
Metropolitana Soloists, Entre Madeiras Trio,
Júlio Guerreiro, Paulo Amorim, Catherine Strunckx and Luis Gomes, among others. His work has also deserved the attention of the public and cultural institutions, for example, at the Antena 2 Concert
The work of Eli Júnior for guitar or the monographic concert
Elle, held at O'culto da Ajuda in Lisbon (prod. Miso Music Portugal). His works have been recorded by the Entre Madeiras Trio and published by the MPMP and AVA Musical Editions.
Eli Camargo Júnior is coordinator of the Didactic Project,
EMCN Music and Image Centre, created in 2020 in partnership with Jorge Machado (electronic music) and João Vasco Almeida (photography and video). This initiative, presently in progress, has been approved by the Pedagogical Council of the National Conservatory in Lisbon. It gives multimedia formation to students of the Composition Course.
In 2021 he became Integrated Member/ Researcher at the CESEM – Centre for the Study of the Sociology and Aesthetics of Music at the Nova University of Lisbon.
Last update: March 19th, 2021