About the author
The Lisbon Guitar Quartet was founded in 2006. During its first three years of activity, it performed approximately fifty guitar recitals in different venues in Portugal and Spain, while also premiering several original pieces written by contemporary Portuguese composers.
In mid-2009, the group suspended its activities in order to allow its members the pursuit of diverse individual projects. During the hiatus, all the elements of Lisbon Guitar Quartet have developed their concert career, leading them to play in important venues and festivals throughout the world, playing with orchestras as well as with different musical formations, and also as solo artists. The will to share the experiences each one of them had lived led to a reunion of Lisbon Guitar Quartet and to resuming rehearsals in late 2011 and concerts in early 2012.
Since then, a new repertoire consisting of original pieces by Portuguese composers has been developed. Parallel to this renewal, the quartet has kept a busy concert agenda with a repertoire based on internationally renowned guitar composers.
In July 2013, the quartet has decided to release a CD and a muscial scores book to illustrate their work in recent years. Recording sessions are now nearly complete and the album will focus exclusively on original pieces composed by Portuguese composers to be performed by the Lisbon Guitar Quartet. The album will feature the famous Portuguese percussionist Pedro Carneiro on a piece by Carlos Marecos for guitars and marimba.
Miguel Vieira da Silva
Born in Lisbon, in 1984, he began his studies of guitar with ten years old, at the Escola de Música Nossa Senhora do Cabo (Lisbon), having studied with professors Paulo Galvão and Carlos Gutkin,, having finished the 8th degree in 2003. He frequented Master-Classes with several professors such as Flores Chaviano, Paulo Vaz de Carvalho, Piñero Nagy, António Jorge Gonçalves, Dejan Ivanovic, Joaquín Clerch, Michalis Kontaxakis, Eduardo Isaac and Aniello Desiderio.
In 2007 he finishes his bachelor degree in Guitar at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, in the Piñero Nagy class, and in 2010 he finishes his master degree at the Universidad de Extremadura, in Cáceres (Spain), with the guitar player Ricardo Gallén.
At present he integrates different projects, such as the guitar duo MikroDuo (this duo also performs with Piñero nagy) and the Lisbon Guitar Quartet, having also integrated the Orquestra de Guitarras project in 2004 and 2006. In 2005 and 2006 he participated in two operas produced by the Teatro de S. Carlos and the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa.
Through several projects, he had the opportunity to act in many stages and festivals (both national and international), such as the Great Hall of the P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Russia), the Victoria Hall (Switzerland, Rencontres Musicales Internationales), the Troy Savings Bank (Albany, USA), with the Albany Symphony Orchestra, the MITO Festival (Italy), the Brno International Music Festival (Czech Republic), the Santander International Festival (Spain), the Ljubliana Festival (Slovenia), the Emilia Romagna Festival (Italy), the Centro Cultural de Cascais (Estoril Music Festival ), the Centro Cultural Olga Cadaval, the Centro Cultural da Malaposta, the Centro Cultural Vila Flor, the Palácio de Sintra, the Casa da América Latina(broadcasted alive to the radio station Antena 2), the Museu de Arte Antiga, the Teatro São Luiz, the Palácio da Ajuda, the Museu de Água, among others.
In 2011 he made a tour through the Orient, performing in the Beijing and Tianjin Conservatories (China), in the Garden House (Macao), and in different cities of Japan, jointly with the Tokyo Opera Association.
Actually he teaches at the Escola de Música Nossa Senhora do Cabo, in Linda-a-velha.
Pedro Luís
Born in Setúbal (Portugal), in 1985, began his studies of guitar with eight years old, at theAcademia de Música de Belas Artes Luísa Todi (Setúbal), oriented by Professor João Trindade, although having finished his last degree in the Conservatory with professor Nuno Santos. In 2003 concludes the 8th degree of the Conservatory and is admitted at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa. In 2007 he finishes his bachelor degree under supervision of Professor Piñero Nagy. In 2010 he finishes his master degree at the Universidad de Extremadura, in Cáceres (Spain), with the famous guitar player Ricardo Gallén.
Along his formation, he participated in several Master-Classes, both solo and chamber music, with Professors Alberto Ponce, Dejan Ivanovic, Michalis Kontaxakis, Joaquín Clerch, darko Petrinjak, Costas Cotsiolis, Betho Davezac, António Jorge Gonçalves e Quito de Sousa-Antunes.
At present he integrates different projects, such as the guitar duo MikroDuo (this duo also performs with Piñero Nagy) and the Lisbon Guitar Quartet, having also integrated the Orquestra de Guitarras project in 2004 and 2006. In 2005 and 2006 he participated in two operas produced by the Teatro de S. Carlos and the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa.
Through several projects, he had the opportunity to act in many stages and festivals (both national and international), such as the Great Hall of the P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Russia), the Victoria Hall (Switzerland, Rencontres Musicales Internationales), the Troy Savings Bank (Albany, USA), with the Albany Symphony Orquestra, the MITO Festival (Italy), the Brno International Music festival (Czech Republic), the Santander International Festival (Spain), the Ljubliana Festival (Slovenia), the Emilia Romagna Festival (Italia), the Centro Cultural de Cascais (Estoril Music Festival), the Centro Cultural Olga Cadaval , the Centro Cultural da Malaposta, the Casa da América Latina (broadcasted alive to the radio station Antena 2), among others.
In 2011 he made a tour through the Orient, performing in the Beijing and Tianjin Conservatories (China), in the Garden House (Macao), and in different cities of Japan, jointly with the Tokyo Opera Association.
Besides his artistic activity, until 2013, he was a Guitar and Orff Orchestra teacher at theAcademia de Música e Belas Artes Luísa Todi (Setúbal), and a Guitar teatcher at the Escola de Música Nossa Senhora do Cabo (Linda-a-Velha), and Jean Piaget Institute.
José Dias
Born in Alcochete (Portugal), 1978.
During the academic year 1998/99 he attended the Academia de Amadores de Música (Lisbon), where he studied classical guitar with Professor Paulo Amorim. In 2000, he started his studies of classical guitar in Escola Profissional de Almada with Professor Júlio Guerreiro. He has completed a professional course in Escola Técnica de Imagem e Comunicação (2004) with professor Walter Lopes. In that same year he started to attend the Guitar course in Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa with Professor Piñeiro Nagy, a course he would complete in 2009. In 2005 he was a founding member of the Lisbon Guitar Quartet. With the Lisbon Guitar Quartet, he has performed in many different locations throughout Portugal and the North of Spain.
He has attended master classes, both solo and as a quartet, with professors such as Dejan Ivanovic, Michael Kontaxakis, Darco Petrinjak, among others. He has started to teach classical guitar in 2005. He is currently a teacher in Escola Ritmo e Melodias in Alcochete.
He has also collaborated with the Quorum Ballet company, in the Correr o Fado show, performing in Serbia, Sevilla and Azores.
André Santos
Born in Lisbon, November 1984.
When he finished his graduate education in Economy in the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, he also completed his Classical Guitar course in the Conservatório Nacional, in Fernando Lobo’s class.
In 2007, he enrolled in the Classical Guitar course of the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa with Piñero Nagy, and he completed his graduation in 2010 in the Conservatório Superior de Sevilhaunder the supervision of Francisco Sanchez Bernier. He has also attended Flamenco Guitar classes with Oscar Herrero and Pedro Jóia.
Besides his solo career, he has participated in different musical projects, covering different fields such as Fado, Flamenco and Classical music. He has performed in various countries such as Portugal, Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Croatia, Serbia, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Ecuador, China, Macao, Thailand, and Cape Verde.
He is a member of the Concurso Nacional de Música de Intervenção de Almada [“Almada’s Intervention Music National Competition”] resident jury since 2007. He has also been a member of the Concurso de Música Moderna de Almada [“Almada’s Modern Music Competition”] resident jury in 2008. In 2011 he has been given the Young Talent award by the Almada municipality. He is involved with the production of the Encontros de Fado de Almada since 2012.
Throughout is career he has already performed along artists such as Maria da Nazaré, Ricardo Ribeiro, Quorum Ballet and Teresa Salgueiro (formerly from Madredeus) with whom he has toured the Voltarei à minha terra show, among many others.
As a composer, he has already written music for different formations and instruments, as well as theatre plays. He regularly writes arrangements for different groups in the portuguese music scene.
He is currently studying composition at the graduate level in the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa. António Pinho Vargas, Carlos Caires and Luís Tinoco, with whom he is currently studying, have all been his professor.
He is a guitar player and founder of the group Melech Mechaya.
