Luis Szarán
Encyclopedia
Luis Szarán is a Paraguay
an musician, orchestra director, composer and musical researcher. He has directed symphonic and chamber orchestras in America and Europe
. He is director of the Asunción City Symphonic Orchestra (OSCA, for its name in Spanish Orquesta Sinfónica de la Ciudad de Asunción) and the Phylomusica Orchestra of Asunción.
He has also directed plays of his own in numerous international festivals and has obtained the National Award of Music, given by the National Parliament in 1997.
, Itapúa
, in Paraguay on September 24, 1953.
He studied music with the teacher José Luis Miranda in Asunción
.
In 1975 he obtained a scholarship to master his studies, given by the Italian
government. He studied orchestra direction in the Santa Cecilia Conservatory, in Rome
. His teachers were Massimo Pradela, Piero Bellugi
and Mario Migliardi
.
Later on, he took courses of improvement in the Colón Theater, in Buenos Aires
, Argentina
, with teacher Hans Swarowsky.
In 1977 he continued his education in Chigiana de Sierra Academy and the Instituto Francesco Canneti de Vicenza.
, Chile
, Spain
, Italy
and United States
. Some of his outstanding work is about Native-American music and Paraguayan popular music; also transcriptions of the music in the Jesuit Missions.
Since 1989, he had been the director of the Paraguayan Area for the Spanish Hispanic-American Encyclopedic Dictionary of Music, organized by the Author General Society of Spain.
His brilliant compositions have been presented in many international festivals, such as Festival de Música Contemporánea de Ouro Preto
in Brazil, in 1975 and 1978; Encuentro de Compositores de Latinoamérica in Santiago
, Chile 1988 and 1989, in Belo Horizonte
, Brazil
in 1989, and in Buenos Aires
in 1990.
His piece “Variaciones en Puntas” for winds quintet was presented in the Youth International Festival of Beyreuth, Germany during the closing concert. This festival was organized for the Centennial of Franz Liszt in 1986. It was also presented in the São Paulo’s Musica Nova Festival, among others.
In addition, many solo artists have performed his compositions, such as: Eduardo Fernández (guitar
), Götz Bernau (violin
), Vihn Pham (violin), Nicholas Ktichen (violin), Daniel Luzko and José Luis Miranda (piano
), Mami Sakuda Fiorentini (soprano
), Antonio Dourthe (bass), Eladio Pérez González (baritone
).
The project is directed towards the kids and young people, and was created by Luis Szarán himself, who through the music schools, bands and cultural associations, gives access to musical education to 3.000 people of scarce resources, in 72 communities in the interior of the country.
The program is inspired in the concept of “education for the art”; it was initiated in 2002 with the support of the AVINA Foundation
, expanding it with alliances with other organizations like; the National Parliament, FONDEC, ITAIPU Bi-National, Asuncion’s Philharmonic Society, the Embassies of Germany
, United States
, France
and Italy, Partners of the Americans (Paraguay-Kansas), Culture Direction of Asunción Municipality and others. More than 100 organizations, municipalities, business and sponsors are involved.
In 2005, Luis Szarán was awarded with the Skoll Awards for The Social Entrepreneurships, given by the Skoll Foundation of California (USA). This award made possible to expand the project to other sector of society in need. The same year Sounds from my land is included as a program of Fundación Tierranuestra.
On 16th May 2011, Luis Szarán conducted the Paraguayan Bicentennial Chamber Orchestra, a musical ensemble brought together especially to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Paraguay, 1811-2011. The orchestra comprised leading members of the City of Asunción Symphony Orchestra, The National Symphony Orchestra, plus some of the most gifted young musicians of the Sounds of the Earth Project. The program offered an overview of Paraguay's own compositions from the 19th century to the present, and included works in a variety of styles. The celebrations were held at Church House, near Westminster Abbey, London, and the event was hosted by His Excellency Mr Miguel Solano-Lopez, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary representing Paraguay in London.
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
an musician, orchestra director, composer and musical researcher. He has directed symphonic and chamber orchestras in America and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. He is director of the Asunción City Symphonic Orchestra (OSCA, for its name in Spanish Orquesta Sinfónica de la Ciudad de Asunción) and the Phylomusica Orchestra of Asunción.
He has also directed plays of his own in numerous international festivals and has obtained the National Award of Music, given by the National Parliament in 1997.
Childhood and Youth
Luis Szarán was born in EncarnaciónEncarnación, Paraguay
Encarnación is the capital city of the Paraguayan department of Itapúa, located at the south of the department, on the right-hand shore of the Paraná River, opposite Posadas, Argentina...
, Itapúa
Itapúa Department
Itapúa is a department in the southern region of Paraguay. The capital is the city of Encarnación. It is divided into 30 districts, making it the department with the most districts in the country.-History:...
, in Paraguay on September 24, 1953.
He studied music with the teacher José Luis Miranda in Asunción
Asunción
Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
.
In 1975 he obtained a scholarship to master his studies, given by the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
government. He studied orchestra direction in the Santa Cecilia Conservatory, in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. His teachers were Massimo Pradela, Piero Bellugi
Piero Bellugi
Piero Bellugi is an Italian conductor from Florence. He received a diploma in violin and viola from the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory in Florence, and also studied composition there with Luigi Dallapiccola. He also studied at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena and at the Universität...
and Mario Migliardi
Mario Migliardi
Mario Migliardi is an Italian composer of music for movies and TV. He was born on May 31, 1919 in Alessandria, Italy.Migliardi composed music and soundtracks for the following movies and TV shows:A come Andromeda TV Series...
.
Later on, he took courses of improvement in the Colón Theater, in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, with teacher Hans Swarowsky.
In 1977 he continued his education in Chigiana de Sierra Academy and the Instituto Francesco Canneti de Vicenza.
Career
Luis is dedicated to musical research. The results of his work have been published in many books in ParaguayParaguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Some of his outstanding work is about Native-American music and Paraguayan popular music; also transcriptions of the music in the Jesuit Missions.
Since 1989, he had been the director of the Paraguayan Area for the Spanish Hispanic-American Encyclopedic Dictionary of Music, organized by the Author General Society of Spain.
His brilliant compositions have been presented in many international festivals, such as Festival de Música Contemporánea de Ouro Preto
Ouro Preto
-History:Founded at the end of the 17th century, Ouro Preto was originally called Vila Rica, or "rich village," the focal point of the gold rush and Brazil's golden age in the 18th century under Portuguese rule....
in Brazil, in 1975 and 1978; Encuentro de Compositores de Latinoamérica in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, Chile 1988 and 1989, in Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in 1989, and in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
in 1990.
His piece “Variaciones en Puntas” for winds quintet was presented in the Youth International Festival of Beyreuth, Germany during the closing concert. This festival was organized for the Centennial of Franz Liszt in 1986. It was also presented in the São Paulo’s Musica Nova Festival, among others.
Work
Numerous orchestras in many countries of the world played his most outstanding compositions. Some of them were:- Symphonic Orchestra of BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
- Philharmonic Orchestra of VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
- Symphonic Orchestra of Paris
- Strings Orchestra of Torino’s Philharmonic
- Wind Band of the Bayreuth’s Youth International Festival
- National Chamber Orchestra of UruguayUruguayUruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
- Orchestra of the Anacrusa Festival of Santiago de Chile
- Symphonic Orchestra of Tucumán
In addition, many solo artists have performed his compositions, such as: Eduardo Fernández (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Götz Bernau (violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
), Vihn Pham (violin), Nicholas Ktichen (violin), Daniel Luzko and José Luis Miranda (piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
), Mami Sakuda Fiorentini (soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
), Antonio Dourthe (bass), Eladio Pérez González (baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
).
| Year | Work |
| 1973 | Preludio Sinfonico (Symphonic Preamble) |
| 1973 | Las Musarañas, for winds |
| 1975 | Sonata for violin and piano |
| 1975 | Pequeña Suite (Small Suite), for violin and strings |
| 1975 | Trozos (Pieces), for strings |
| 1976 | Añesú, for narrator, choir and orchestra |
| 1978 | Sonata for piano |
| 1979 | El Río (The River), for contralto and instrumental band |
| 1983 | Tríptico Barrettiano (about texts of Rafael Barrett), for Chamber Orchestra |
| 1985 | Encarnaciones, suite for piano |
| 1985 | Concertino, for guitar, flute and strings |
| 1986 | Variaciones en Puntas, for wind quintet (National Award of Music in 1997) |
| 1989 | Mbocapú, for symphonic orchestra |
| 1990 | Miniaturas (miniatures), for oboe and piano |
| 1992 | Meditación por la caída del Muro de Berlín (Meditation for the fall of the Berlin Wall), for violin or violoncello and strings |
| 1992 | La Magdalena, for trombone and symphonic orchestra |
| 1997 | Rastros (Traces), for flute and piano |
| 1998 | Concertino, for violin and symphonic orchestra |
| 2001 | La Cruz del Sur (The South Cross), for soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... , violin Violin The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello.... , clavichord Clavichord The clavichord is a European stringed keyboard instrument known from the late Medieval, through the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical eras. Historically, it was widely used as a practice instrument and as an aid to composition, not being loud enough for larger performances. The clavichord produces... and strings |
| 2007 | Chaidi: los últimos sonidos (Chaidi: the last sounds), for flute Flute The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening... , piano Piano The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... and strings String instrument A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones... |
Sounds of the Earth
Without a doubt, the project “Sonidos de la tierra” (Sounds of the Earth), is the most important and elaborated communitarian project about musical culture in Paraguayan history. The project is being emulated nowadays in other countries in America.The project is directed towards the kids and young people, and was created by Luis Szarán himself, who through the music schools, bands and cultural associations, gives access to musical education to 3.000 people of scarce resources, in 72 communities in the interior of the country.
The program is inspired in the concept of “education for the art”; it was initiated in 2002 with the support of the AVINA Foundation
AVINA Foundation
-Overview:It was founded in 1994 by Stephan Schmidheiny. Its Chairman is Brizio Biondi-Morra and its CEO is Sean McKaughan. It has offices in Buenos Aires in Argentina, Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Santiago in Chile, Bogota in Colombia, Cuenca in Ecuador, Asuncion...
, expanding it with alliances with other organizations like; the National Parliament, FONDEC, ITAIPU Bi-National, Asuncion’s Philharmonic Society, the Embassies of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Italy, Partners of the Americans (Paraguay-Kansas), Culture Direction of Asunción Municipality and others. More than 100 organizations, municipalities, business and sponsors are involved.
In 2005, Luis Szarán was awarded with the Skoll Awards for The Social Entrepreneurships, given by the Skoll Foundation of California (USA). This award made possible to expand the project to other sector of society in need. The same year Sounds from my land is included as a program of Fundación Tierranuestra.
On 16th May 2011, Luis Szarán conducted the Paraguayan Bicentennial Chamber Orchestra, a musical ensemble brought together especially to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Paraguay, 1811-2011. The orchestra comprised leading members of the City of Asunción Symphony Orchestra, The National Symphony Orchestra, plus some of the most gifted young musicians of the Sounds of the Earth Project. The program offered an overview of Paraguay's own compositions from the 19th century to the present, and included works in a variety of styles. The celebrations were held at Church House, near Westminster Abbey, London, and the event was hosted by His Excellency Mr Miguel Solano-Lopez, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary representing Paraguay in London.
Awards
| Year | Work |
| 1974 | Honored by the Italian government with the title of Official Knight of the Republic. |
| 1975 | Was named Outstanding Young Man by the Junior Camera of Asunción, Paraguay. Won the award Los 12 del año (The top 12 of the year) four times by Radio Station Primero de Marzo, Paraguay. |
| 1987 | Honor to the Cultural Merit by the Rotary Club of Encarnación, Paraguay. The French Alliance seat in Asunción founded the first Library of Music in Paraguay after him. Award of gratitude from the Philharmonic Society of Asunción, Paraguay. |
| 1992 | Annual Award from the Friends of Arts Association, Paraguay. |
| 1993 | Selected among the 8 most successful Paraguayan people, along with other personalities such as Augusto Roa Bastos, José Luis Chilavert and others. Workers’ National Bank, Paraguay. |
| 1993 | Best Director. Radio Station Curupayty, Paraguay. |
| 1994 | Official Knight of the Italian Republic, from the Italian Government for his research and international projection of life and work of Domenico Zipoli Domenico Zipoli Domenico Zipoli was an Italian Baroque composer. He became a Jesuit in order to work in the Reductions of Paraguay where his musical expertise contributed to develop the natural musical talents of the Guaranis... , musician in the Jesuit Missions in Paraguay. |
| 1995 | Silver Medal in acknowledge to the professional efficiency. Granted by the Municipality of Asunción, Paraguay. |
| 1996 | Selected among the 8 most successful Paraguayan people, along with other personalities such as Augusto Roa Bastos Augusto Roa Bastos Augusto Roa Bastos, was a noted Paraguayan novelist and short story writer, and one of the most important Latin American writers of the 20th century. As a teenager he fought in the Chaco War between Paraguay and Bolivia, and he later worked as a journalist, screenwriter and professor... , José Luis Chilavert José Luis Chilavert José Luis Félix Chilavert González is a Paraguayan former football player who played as a goalkeeper. He was a three-time IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper award winner.... and others. Workers’ National Bank, Paraguay. |
| 1997 | National Award of Music, received for the first time in Paraguay from the National Parliament. |
| 2000 | Received in Rome Rome Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half... , the distinction “International Award to the Culture” from the International Lions Club Prato Datini in Italy. |
| 2001 | He received the medal UNESCO UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations... “Orbis Guaraniticus”. |
| 2002 | He was the first Latin American composer and fifth in the world to receive the “Vivaldi Medal” given in the International Festival of Venice and the “Franz Xaver” Medall from the Jesuit Legal of Germany in acknowledgement of his work in the care and diffusion of the musical culture of the Jesuit Missions in South America South America South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east... . He was acknowledged as “Honorary Citizen” of the cities: Yuty Yuty Yuty is a town in the Caazapá department of Paraguay.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com... , Caaguazú Caaguazú District Caaguazú District is one of the 20 districts of Caaguazú Department, Paraguay. It contains the town of Caaguazú, which has a population of 63,000. Caaguazú had the greatest concentration of sawmills in Paraguay about fifteen to twenty years ago and up until today is still called the “Wood Capital”... , Encarnación Encarnación, Paraguay Encarnación is the capital city of the Paraguayan department of Itapúa, located at the south of the department, on the right-hand shore of the Paraná River, opposite Posadas, Argentina... and Asunción Asunción Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San... , in Paraguay Paraguay Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the... , and of Limana Limana Limana is a comune in the Province of Belluno in the Italian region Veneto, located about 70 km north of Venice and about 5 km southwest of Belluno... , in Veneto Veneto Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... . He holds the Order of Arts and Literature of the Ministry of Culture in France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... . |
| 2004 | Acknowledge as Academic of the Paraguayan Academy of History. |
| 2005 | Awarded with the International Prize from the Skoll Foundation of California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... (USA) for his character of social enterprising and was distinguished as Member in the Spanish Royal Academy of History. |