User:Louis Franz Aguirre

LOUIS FRANZ AGUIRRE ( CUBA, 1968)

LOUIS AGUIRRE (1968) http://www.wix.com/louisaguirre/louis-aguirre

Born in Camagüey, Cuba in 1968, Louis Aguirre earned in 1991 a B.A. in composition from Havana Superior Institute of Arts, after studying composition with Harold Gramatges, Roberto Valera and Tulio Peramo. He also studied violin and conducting at this same Institute. From 2002-04 he was enrolled at the Amsterdam Conservatory, studying the composition postgraduate program: "Contemporary music through non-Western Techniques" under the guidance of composer R. Reina. This program is based on South Indian Classical music, (Karnatic music). From 2004-05 he was enrolled at the Århus Royal Conservatory in Denmark, taking a Diplom-exam (Master) in composition under the guidance of composers Karl Aage Rasmussen and Rolf Wallin. In 2007 Aguirre ended with the highest mark his Soloist Class (3er cycle) in Composition at the Århus Royal Conservatory, under the guidance of professors Karl Aage Rasmussen and Hans Abrahamsen.

From 1995-2002 Louis Aguirre was the chief conductor and artistic director of the Camagüey Symphony Orchestra, as well as guest conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Havana and the Symphony Orchestra of Santiago de Cuba. In addition, he was a professor of the Camaguey Music Conservatory, and also artistic director and chairman of the International Festival of Contemporary Music (1996-2002) in Camagüey.

Since 2002 he has been living as a freelance composer.

His music has been played at numerous concerts and festivals in Cuba, Mexico, Perú, Argentina, USA, China, and throughout Europe (Spain, Italy, Germany, Holland, Austria, Latvia, Scotland, Slovenia, Estonia, Croatia, Poland, Greenland, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Faero Islands, Finland,…) such as: Festival Internacional de Alicante, Spain; Internationale Ferienkurse für neue musik, Darmstadt, Germany; SUSÅ, Contemporary Music Festival, Denmark; Gaudeamus Week, Holland; Moers Festival, Germany; Forum de Nueva Música, DF, Mexico; Festival International de Música Contemporánea de Lima, Perú; Global-Lokal Festival, Denmark; Crash Festival, Denmark; Vendsyssel Festival, Denmark; Amsterdam Percussion Festival, Holland; Festival Internacional de Música de Lucena, Córdoba, Spain; Århus International Guitar Festival, Denmark; Festival Inernacional de la Havana and Festival Internacional de Música Contemporánea de Camaguey, Cuba; Festival Internacional de Udine, Italy; Festival Internacional de Musica de Morelia, México; Festival de Música Contemporánea de Segovia, Spain; Nuevas Sonoridades, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Tallin Music Days, Estonia; Percussion Festival Platges de Moncofa, Spain; Karnatic Festival of Amsterdam, Holland; Festival Internacional Carmelo Bernaola, Spain; Festival Wind & Bellows 2008, Frederikshavn, Denmark; Nuuk guitar event 2011, Greenland; Februar Dage Festival, Aalborg, Denmark; Athelas New Music Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark; Festival Internacional de Música y Danza de Granada, Spain; Liubliana Festival, Slovenia; SUMMARTÓNAR, Faroe Islands Festival of Classical and Contemporary Music; …

The impact of Aguirre's music, many times praised for its outstanding originality and power, has given him the opportunity of been a composer largely commissioned, and also, the privilege to collaborate with performers and ensembles such as: Ere Lievonen, Enric Monfort, Adam Ørvad, Carlos Gálvez, Franca Drioli, Susanna Borsch, Maria Jonas, Valter Sivilotti, Matthijs Koene, Ned McGowan, Vesselin Parachkevov, Maria Jonas, Johannes Tonio Kreutch, Mikkel Andersen, Malene Bichel, Helene Gjerris, Karolina Leedo, Mina Fred, Juanjo Guillem, Ainoha Miranda, B.C. Manjunath,... Axyz Ensemble (Amsterdam), Arditti String Quartet (UK), Residencias Ensemble (Spain), Mikrokosmos Ensemble (Italy), Sanguine Duo (Denmark), Trío Arbós (Spain), Kimbala Percussion Group (Spain), Esbjerg Ensemble (Denmark), Trío Morelia (México), DuoMetrie (Amsterdam), X Percussion Duo (Spain), Verso Duo (Amsterdam), Havana Symphony Orchestra, Santiago de Cuba Symphony Orchestra, and Camaguey Symphony Orchestra (Cuba), SyZyGy Trio (Denmark), Black Pencil Ensemble (Holland), Harmasoflugi Quintet (Denmark), Hymnia Choir (Denmark), Neo Percusión Trío (Spain), Snow Mask Ensemble (Denmark)… His work list, with 88 pieces, includes: opera, orchestral and chamber music, solo pieces, choral, and vocal music. Louis Aguirre is a member of the Snow Mask Composer group and the artistic director of the Snow Mask Ensemble: http://www.snowmaskensemble.dk/medlemmer.htm

Louis Aguirre has been the recipient of several prizes and grants such as: 1988- The UNEAC (Cuban Composers and Artist's Society) First Prize for his "Concierto para Trío Clásico" 1989- First Prize for “Canto de Otoño” at the Havana’s University Composition Contest “Jornadas Martianas” 1991- The UNEAC First Prize in chamber music for "Visiones". 1991- First Honorable Mention UNEAC in symphonic music for “Diálogos con el Cuervo”. 1993- The UNEAC First Prize in solo pieces for “Alegoría I” 1993- The UNEAC First Prize in Choir music for “Exaudi Nos, Deus” 1994- First Prize of the Cuban’s National Center of Art and music Schools for “Alegoría I” 1994- First Mention of the Cuban’s National Center of Art and Music Schools for “Sombras- Espacio Infinito”. 1994- The UNEAC First Prize in chamber music for “Fractales” 1994- The UNEAC First Mention in vocal music for “Tres Poemas de Pedro Salinas”. 1998- Grant for composers by the Brothers Saiz Association. 2002- Spanish Author Foundation scholarship 2003- Spanish Author Foundation Scholarship 2008- Grant by the Statens Kunstfond of Denmark. 2009- Grant by the Statens Kunstfond of Denmark 2009- Honorable Mention in the Ironworks Percussion Duo Competition, California,USA. 2009- Grant by the Danish Composers' Society 2010- Grant by the Statens Kunstfond of Denmark 2010- Special Mention for "FRACTAL 2" for solo piano at the 19th IBLA World Competition, New York, USA. 2010- Grant by the Danish Composers' Society 2011- Winner (1st prize) of the 2011 Martirano Award, University of Illinois, USA. 2011- Grant by the Statens Kunstfond of Denmark. 2011- Winner (3rd prize) of the 9th Italy Percussion Competition, Fermo, Italy. 2011- Finalist at the Cintas Fellowship competition, USA. 2011- Honorable Mention at the 11.Kompositionswettbewerb 2011 um den Carl von Ossietzky-Preis der Universität Oldenburg for my percussion duo YALODDE I. 2012- Grant by the Statens Kunstfond of Denmark. 2012- Awarded 3rd Prize at the Musica Domani Prize 2012, USA, for my work ICONOS, for Violin and Piano.

His work list, at present with 88 pieces, includes: opera, orchestral and chamber music, solo pieces, choral, electronic, and vocal music.

List of recordings and publications: Añá (Liturgia de la Transmutación) Nerafilms 2006 - DVD Enric Monfort, solo percussion; Jos Zwaanenburg, Conductor; Axyz Ensemble.

IBEYI (Oru) Duo Verso: MATTHIJS KOENE - Panflute & STEFAN GERRITSEN - Guitar VERSO: Karnatic Lab Records: KLR 021. CD. 2010

YEMAYÁ Adam Ørvad- classical accordion WING SPAN: Danacord: DACOCD 718. CD. 2012

ALEGORÍA I (for solo Double Bass) Simon Verlag für Bibliothekswissen, 2012. (Double Bass – Pieces by the young generation)

-Books & essays on Louis Aguirre and his music:

Hernández Isabelle. 2001. Aguirre, enfant terrible. The Granma newspaper, Saturday, October 20th, 2001.

Morales Flores, Iván César. 2005. Ebbó: Estudio analítico de una ópera de Louis Aguirre. Thesis, Havana Superior Institute of Arts.

Morales Flores, Iván Cesar. 2008. Ebbó: del rito al simulacro, in Boletín de Música #21/ Enero- Marzo/ Revista de Música Latinoamericana y Caribeña, Casa de las Américas.

Molerio Rosa, Arleti María. 2009. La producción musical del compositor Louis Aguirre Rovira en el presente de la música de cámara académica cubana. Revista Variaciones #1, Universidad Estatal de Cuenca, Ecuador.

Albertson Dan. April 2010. La Folia, Online Music Review. "Qualche tedeschi, qualche gaijin". (review on CD Verso, "IBEYI".)

Santacecilia María. July 2010. Mundo Clásico: Nadar en ríos metafísicos. Spain.

Morales Flores, Iván Cesar. November 2011. Louis Aguirre, una inusual confluencia sonora de ritos y culturas, in Musiker.18, 2011. Spain. http://www.eusko-ikaskuntza.org/es/publicaciones/colecciones/cuadernos/ articulo.php?o=20644

MY OWN WRITINGS:

Aguirre Louis. Revista cultural Agón Nr. 2. Verano de 2011: El retorno de la Vanguardia en la música clásica contemporánea: la Segunda Modernidad.