Joao Pedro Oliveira


Joćo Pedro Oliveira began his music studies at the Gregorian Institute of Lisbon where he studied organ performance. From 1985 to 1990 he moved to the US as a Fulbright student, with a fellowship from Gulbenkian Foundations, where he completed a PhD in Music at the University of New York at Stony Brook. His music includes one chamber opera, several orchestral compositions, a Requiem, 3 string quartets, chamber music, solo instrumental music, electroacoustic music and experimental video. Recently he has been exploring the possibilities of interaction between instrumental and electroacoustic sounds, and most of his recent works use both media. He has received numerous prizes and awards, including three Prizes at Bourges Electroacoustic Music Competition, the prestigious Magisterium Prize in the same competition, the Giga-Hertz Special Award, 1st Prize in Metamorphoses competition, 1st Prize in Yamaha-Visiones Sonoras Competition, 1st Prize in Musica Nova competition, etc.. His music is played all over the world, and most of his works have been commissioned by Portuguese and foreign groups and foundations. He is Professor at Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil) and Aveiro University (Portugal) and teaches composition, electroacoustic music and analysis. He published several articles in journals, and has written a book about analysis and 20th century music theory. Contact: jppo@ua.pt www.jpoliveira.com

www.jpoliveira.com

jppo@ua.pt

Compositions

Timshel
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This work was composed at the same time I was reading Steinbeck’s romance East of Eden. Timshel (Hebrew word that means "thou mayest…") occupies a basic place in this romance and relates to the capacity of choice given to human beings. In the process of composing we are confronted with many choices, and the final work is the result of the options we made. The same happens in life. Choices made in one specific moment influence the future of our existence. Timshel is a composition where I manifest joy and gratefulness for the choices I made correctly, and sadness for those where I failed.