Gilbert Biberian
Encyclopedia
Gilbert Biberian is a British
guitarist
and composer
.
Born in Istanbul of Greek/Armenian descent, Mr Biberian's ethnic roots are integral to his compositions. He studied at Trinity College of Music, graduating in 1968. In 1965 a French Government grant took him to France to study with Ida Presti and Alexandre Lagoya. He studied composition with James Patten, Elisabeth Lutyens and Hans Keller, as well as widening and enriching his musical knowledge by working with non-guitarists Anthony Kinsella (piano) and Vic Bennett (clarinet).
Following a successful debut at the Wigmore Hall, he was invited to work with the London Sinfonietta and Pierre Boulez, Luciano Berio, the Nash Ensemble, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and many others. He has played at the Proms, at Covent Garden and has performed concertos and given solo recitals worldwide.
He has always enthusiastically encouraged and championed the creation of new compositions for guitar. New works have been written for and/or dedicated to him (for solo and ensemble) by James Patten, Elisabeth Lutyens, Reginald Smith Brindle, Alfred Nieman, Charles Camilleri, David Bedford, Roger Williams, Glen Morgan, Robert Keeley, Jeffrey Joseph, Kenneth Paige, Daniel Sturm, Vojislav Ivanovic, Betty Roe, Ivor Mairants, Geoffrey Burgon, Aurelio Peruzzi, Judith Bingham, Monique Cecconi-Botella, Ottavio Negro and Luis Morales Giacoman.
In addition to his pioneering work in chamber music, and always in search of exciting possibilities for the guitar, he expanded the role of the instrument by combining with mime in three works, "Pierrot", "Harlequin's Toccata" and "Colombine", which are now successfully established as stage and concert pieces. He has produced a great number of compositions, not only for solo and ensemble guitar but also for all string instruments including a concerto for guitar, cello and 19 strings, which received its world premiere at the Habana International Festival of Guitar, Cuba in May 1992. His guitar compositions are being recorded and performed by an ever-increasing number of guitarists. Mr Biberian's compositions have been published in England, Italy, Holland, Canada and the USA.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
guitarist
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Born in Istanbul of Greek/Armenian descent, Mr Biberian's ethnic roots are integral to his compositions. He studied at Trinity College of Music, graduating in 1968. In 1965 a French Government grant took him to France to study with Ida Presti and Alexandre Lagoya. He studied composition with James Patten, Elisabeth Lutyens and Hans Keller, as well as widening and enriching his musical knowledge by working with non-guitarists Anthony Kinsella (piano) and Vic Bennett (clarinet).
Following a successful debut at the Wigmore Hall, he was invited to work with the London Sinfonietta and Pierre Boulez, Luciano Berio, the Nash Ensemble, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and many others. He has played at the Proms, at Covent Garden and has performed concertos and given solo recitals worldwide.
He has always enthusiastically encouraged and championed the creation of new compositions for guitar. New works have been written for and/or dedicated to him (for solo and ensemble) by James Patten, Elisabeth Lutyens, Reginald Smith Brindle, Alfred Nieman, Charles Camilleri, David Bedford, Roger Williams, Glen Morgan, Robert Keeley, Jeffrey Joseph, Kenneth Paige, Daniel Sturm, Vojislav Ivanovic, Betty Roe, Ivor Mairants, Geoffrey Burgon, Aurelio Peruzzi, Judith Bingham, Monique Cecconi-Botella, Ottavio Negro and Luis Morales Giacoman.
In addition to his pioneering work in chamber music, and always in search of exciting possibilities for the guitar, he expanded the role of the instrument by combining with mime in three works, "Pierrot", "Harlequin's Toccata" and "Colombine", which are now successfully established as stage and concert pieces. He has produced a great number of compositions, not only for solo and ensemble guitar but also for all string instruments including a concerto for guitar, cello and 19 strings, which received its world premiere at the Habana International Festival of Guitar, Cuba in May 1992. His guitar compositions are being recorded and performed by an ever-increasing number of guitarists. Mr Biberian's compositions have been published in England, Italy, Holland, Canada and the USA.