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Details as performer
 Born in Viseu in 1972, Pedro Rebelo is presently professor and research director at the Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC) – Queen’s University Belfast. In the field of research the composer aims to reflect his attitude towards sound design and composition, while articulating creative practice within a comprehensive understanding of cultural theory and social practice. In 2002 the University of Edinburgh, where he conducted research on the relations between music and architecture, awarded him with a doctorate. He was also visiting professor at the Stanford University (2007), Fedaral University of Rio de Janeiro (2014) and at the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences at the Nova University of Lisbon (2016). He was also “music chair” for international conferences, such as the ICMC 2008, SMC 2009 and ISMIR 2012. In 2012 the Northern Bank awarded him with the Building Tomorrow’s Belfast prize. He has recently been awarded with two major grants from the Arts and Humanities Research Council including the interdisciplinary project Sounding Conflict, investigating relationships between sound, music and conflict situations. His ongoing research interests include immersive sound design and augmented listening experiences.

Pedro Rebelo’s works were presented in concert halls, such as the Melbourne Recital Hall, National Concert Hall Dublin, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Casa da Música, as well as at festivals including the Weimarer Frühjahrstage für zeitgenössische Musik, Wien Modern, Cynetart and Música Viva, among many others.

As performer of improvised music he collaborated with musicians, such as Chris Brown, Mark Appelbaum, Carlos Zíngaro, Evan Parker and Pauline Oliveros. In the context of the Duo l a u t, co-created with the saxophonist Franziska Schroeder, as performer on electronic systems Pedro Rebelo has dedicated himself to improvisation and execution of works with electronics and multimedia, having developed various control interfaces for interactive performances – this experience reveals the interpretative aspects of the “computer on stage”.

Pedro Rebelo’s music constitutes a field for research and experimentation when it comes to the relation of art with new technologies, as well as the plurality of disciplines. The composer maintains collaborations with visual artists and has developed a graphic notation with a strong aesthetic character.

His works can be divided into various groups, in the context of which the composer explores different aspects concerning the nature of composition and the implementation of technological means: 1) “more traditional” electroacoustic music; 2) instrumental pieces with electronics, whose departure points are concrete architectonic places and spaces (Aquas Liberas from 2001, x\\Hailes from 2001 and Cidade Museu from 2015); 3) “music prosthesis” projects, putting the musicians in a situation, in which they need to react to another aesthetic system (Music for Prosthetic Congas from 2004, Prosthetic Oil from 2005 and Shadow Quartet from 2007).

In works such as Disparate Bodies (2007/08), Netrooms: The BIGINT Feedback (2008) and Netgraph (2010), Pedro Rebelo has been exploring the concept of dramaturgy in virtual networks as a new means of performance – he has taken into consideration the perspective of collaboration, authorship, presence and ambience. In collaboration with other artists and researchers, he has been carrying out participatory projects, exploring the relation between sound and community, often in a context of conflict, thus revealing the everyday sounds in the soundscapes of Belfast (Sounds of the City, 2012) or the Maré Favela in Rio de Janeiro (Som da Maré, 2014) and Mafalala in Maputo, Mozambique (Behind a Performance: the Tufo of Mafalala, 2018). In his recent work Pedro Rebelo has been combining compositional and performative approaches with a contextual concern, explored by means of ethnographic strategies. Cidade Museu (2015) rediscovers empty spaces in the city of Viseu through an audiovisual performance, improvisation and immersive audio, while Gathering Dust (2017) celebrates the personal relations with abandoned musical instruments, through a score for chamber music ensemble.

Dossier no. 10 . Portuguese Composers of the 20th and 21st Centuries . Pedro Rebelo

MIC.PT Interview to Pedro Rebelo · September 2016

In Focus dedicated to Pedro Rebelo · May 2012

EXTERNAL LINKS
Pedro Rebelo

Last update: August 11th, 2020