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CHRISTOPHER BOCHMANN IN FOCUS FOR FEBRUARY

Christopher Bochmann has been present in Portugal’s music life for more than 30 years, during which he has developed a continuous activity as composer, conductor, musicologist and professor. His ample work is marked by precision, however not deprived of a profound emotional impact. Last year in November we celebrated Christopher Bochmann’s 60th anniversary and 30 years of his permanence in Portugal. The celebratory concerts of this double jubilee took place at the atrium of São Carlos National Theatre in Lisbon on November 8th and 9th 2010. The video recordings of the event, are available on the mic.pt website.

  

GMCL, La mà de guido
The Spanish "La mà de guido" Edition released a CD with Jorge Peixinho's chamber works performed by the Lisbon Contemporary Music Ensemble conducted by Christopher Bochmann.

Nuno Pinto, Miso Records
In April 2010 Miso Records released a CD with Nuno Pinto performing works by Virgílio de Melo, António Pinho Vargas, João Pedro Oliveira, Alexandre Delgado, Cândido Lima, Clotilde Rosa, Sérgio Azevedo, Ricardo Ribeiro and Paulo Brandão.

Lopes-Graça, Numérica 
Numérica released a CD with Fernando Lopes-Graça's choral works performed by the Lisboa Cantat Symphomnic and Chamber Choirs conducted by Jorge Alves.


José Luís Ferreira, Avant
The work, commissioned by Miso Music Portugal for the Sond'Ar-te Electric Ensemble was premiered on December 4th 2010 at the Cascais Cultural Centre. The Sond'Ar-te Electric Ensemble was conducted by Pedro Neves with José Luís Ferreira controlling the live electronics. The premiere performance was integrated into two important events - 100th Anniversary of the Portuguese Republic and the 150th Anniversary of the Friendship, Peace and Trade Treaty Conclusion between Japan and Portugal.
>> read the review
>> explore the work


Sérgio Azevedo, Concerto para Dois Violinos
The work composed especially for the Cascais and Oeiras Chamber Orchestra was the composer's second concertante piece premiered in 2010. The composer's close relation with the orchestra has resulted, since its foundation, in premiere performances and rediscovery of various works. The concert took place on December 17th at the Salesian Church with the Cascais and Oeiras Chamber Orchestra conducted by Nikolay Lalov.
>> explore the work

Luís Tinoco, Paint Me
The opera, with music by Luís Tinoco and libretto by Stephen Plaice, was commissioned by Culturgest. The premiere performances with the Portuguese Symphonic Orchestra conducted by Joana Carneiro took place on December 17th and 18th 2010 at the Culturgest Large Auditorium. The soloists: Raquel Camarinha, Eduarda Melo, Hugo Oliveira, Patrícia Quinta, João Rodrigues and Job Tomé.
>> read the review
>> explore the work

NEW MUSIC REVIEW LOUNGE
One of the new features highlighted in the new site of the Portuguese Music Research & Information Centre is a new space for music critics, particularly of contemporary Portuguese music. This new space has the coordination of the new mic.pt collaborator, Jakub Szczypa, and the collaboration of various figures of the portuguese musical panorama, like Manuel Pedro Ferreira, Antonio Ferreira, Fernando Lapa, Álvaro García de Zúñiga, Benoît Gibson and Pedro Junqueira Maia.
NEW MIC.PT PERFORMERS
>> Pedro Neves - Conductor
>> Ângela Silva - Voice
>> Sintese - Contemporary Music Ensemble

THE MUSICAL SONOROUS PATRIMONY
On December 15th the Portuguese Music Research & Information Centre participated in the meeting, "Musical Sonorous Patrimony", carried out at the Portuguese Music Museum in Cascais. Its objective was to rejoin public and private institutions, which have worked in the field of preserving and managing sound archives, in order to discuss the implementation of the Portuguese National Sound Archive.
The mic.pt representatives contributed to the discussion with a presentation of the mic.pt data base and catalogue dedicated to the Portuguese musical creation.

MIC.PT ON THE ISMN (INTERNATIONAL STANDARD MUSIC NUMBER) PANEL MEETING
The Music Department of the National Library invited the Portuguese Music Research & Information Centre to participate in the International ISMN Panel Meeting, which took place in Lisbon on September 15th 2010. The Centre contributed to the meeting with a short presentation on the number of works with the ISMN published by mic.pt, the process of the number's attribution and the practical results connected with the promotion and visibility of Portuguese contemporary music.

MIC.PT SCORES CATALOGUE
One of the mic.pt central activities is the online edition and distribution of contemporary music scores. At the beginning of 2010, 314 complete scores by 32 composers were available online. At present, after only one year, we have 537 complete scores by 36 composers available for download and this number increases every week.

MUSIC PLATFORM
The Music Platform, created on November 25th 2010 is an informal structure, which intends to unite entities active in the area of Art Music. Its aim is to open a broad discussion on various challenges, which the Arts and Culture field not only in Portugal, but also in the rest of Europe will face in 2011. At present the Music Platform unites the following organizations:
- Arquipélago - Associação de Compositores de Portugal
- Academia de Música de Lagos
- Academia de Música de Viana do Castelo
- Centro de Investigação & Informação da Música Portuguesa
- Granular
- Grupo de Música Contemporânea de Lisboa
- Juventude Musical Portuguesa
- Maosimmao
- Miso Music Portugal
- Orchestra Utópica
- Orquestra Sinfónica Juvenil
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JOÃO PEDRO OLIVEIRA RECEIVES 3 MORE INTERNATIONAL AWARDS
1st Prize at the Francisco Escudero 3rd International Composition Competition.
The winning work entitled "Prisma" was written for recorder, accordion, cimbalom, and percussion. The competition, assigned by the Basque Accordion Association, aims at encouraging the creation and edition of works for accordion solo and chamber music.
1st Prize at the Franco Evangelisti International Composition Competition.
Two, from the three works selected for the competition's final stage, were written by João Pedro Oliveira - "In Tempore" composed in 2000 and "Mosaic" created in 2010. The latter one was awarded with the 1st prize. "Mosaic", for piano and electronic sounds was commissioned by the Viseu Music Conservatory and had its premiere performance by Madalena Soveral in October 2010. It will be published by the prestigious Suvini Zerboni Editions.
International Music Prize for Excellence in Composition
This prize, awarded by the National Acadamy of Music in the USA, by the Music Conservatoire at Neapolis and Music Conservatory at Aykies in Greece, is intended to reward works that stand out for its artistic excellence and usefulness in teaching the instrument.
"Hokmah" for clarinet and piano, composed in 2009 was one of the works, which received this prize in the "advanced" category. The work was commissioned and premiered by Nuno Pinto (clarinet) and Elsa Silva (piano).

1st FORUM FOR YOUNG COMPOSERS IN PORTUGAL
In order to promote the creation and circulation of new chamber works with electronics, the Sond'Ar-te Electric Ensemble and Gothe Institute in Portugal are proud to announce the 1st Forum for Young Composers, which will be taking place between May 17th and 20th 2011 in Lisbon. All applications should be submitted until March 15th 2011.

RUI PENHA'S WORK CHOSEN FOR THE WORLD NEW MUSIC DAYS
Rui Penha's "ex nihilo" was selected for the World New Music Days 2011 in the category "percussion ensemble". The festival, organized by the International Society for Contemporary Music within the 26th Music Biennale in Zagreb, will be taking place between April 10th and 15th. From the works submitted for the World New Music Days by Miso Music Portugal (Portuguese section of the ISCM), Rui Penha's work for vibraphone quartet was programmed for the opening concert on April 10th. It will be performed by the "biNg bang" Percussion Ensemble.