Miguel del Aguila
Encyclopedia
Miguel del Águila is an Uruguayan
-born American composer
of contemporary classical music
.
. He later studied in Vienna at the Hochschule für Musik and the Konservatorium while also working as a pianist, music teacher and occasionally conducting his works.
In 1987 Peermusic Classical published his first works, eventually incorporating most of del Águila’s works into their catalogue. American audiences embraced del Águila’s music in 1988 as he introduced his piano works at New York’s Carnegie Recital Hall, and, days later, Lukas Foss
premiered his “Hexen” with the Brooklyn Philharmonic
Orchestra. KKM-Austria and Albany Records NY took notice and offered him a recording contract
in 1989 releasing five of his works in two CD’s the following year.
During the 1990s del Águila’s list of works grew, as did the number of his recordings, performances and honors, which by 1995 included the Kennedy Center
Friedheim Award. Performances at Lincoln Center, the Royal Opera House
, and in Moscow, Vienna, Zurich, Budapest, Prague, Tokyo, Rome, and other capitals began a decade of expansion and growth. After residing in Vienna for ten years, del Águila returned to the United States in 1992, making his home in Southern California
. Before long Los Angeles Times
critics welcomed him as “One of the West Coast's most promising and enterprising young composers.” During this time he founded and directed the young musicians’ group Voices (which provided free instruction, concerts and premieres), and became music director
of Ojai Camerata.
New York’s Chautauqua Institution
Summer Festival invited him as Resident Composer, where he remained until 2004 contributing new works, performances and literary articles. In 2005, Miguel del Águila accepted a two-year Composer-in-Residence position with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, through a Meet the Composer
“Music Alive” Award. This marked the start of an intensively creative period that culminated with the fully staged premiere of his opera Time and Again Barelas, commemorating Albuquerque’s tricentennial.
By 2008 first-rate orchestras, ensembles and soloists were regularly commissioning and performing his works worldwide. These included almost fifty orchestras, over two hundred chamber ensembles and soloists, and virtually every country in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Currently del Águila’s catalogue reaches over a hundred works for all genres.
Miguel del Águila was honored with the Lancaster Symphony Composer of the Year Award 2009, the Peter S. Reed Foundation Award 2008, MTC Magnum Opus/Kathryn Gould Award 2008, as well as awards by The Copland Foundation, and the Argosy Foundation for Contemporary Music.
Uruguay
Uruguay ,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...
-born American 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...
of contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
.
Life
After studies in his native Montevideo, Águila moved to the United States in 1978, where he graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of MusicSan Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco Conservatory of Music, formerly the California Conservatory of Music, founded in 1917, is a music school, with an enrollment of about 400 students. It was launched by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodgehead in the remodeled home of Lillian's parents on Sacramento Street. It was called the...
. He later studied in Vienna at the Hochschule für Musik and the Konservatorium while also working as a pianist, music teacher and occasionally conducting his works.
In 1987 Peermusic Classical published his first works, eventually incorporating most of del Águila’s works into their catalogue. American audiences embraced del Águila’s music in 1988 as he introduced his piano works at New York’s Carnegie Recital Hall, and, days later, Lukas Foss
Lukas Foss
Lukas Foss was a German-born American composer, conductor, and pianist.-Music career:He was born Lukas Fuchs in Berlin, Germany in 1922. His father was the philosopher and scholar Martin Fuchs...
premiered his “Hexen” with the Brooklyn Philharmonic
Brooklyn Philharmonic
The Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, commonly known as the Brooklyn Philharmonic, is an American orchestra based in the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City...
Orchestra. KKM-Austria and Albany Records NY took notice and offered him a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
in 1989 releasing five of his works in two CD’s the following year.
During the 1990s del Águila’s list of works grew, as did the number of his recordings, performances and honors, which by 1995 included the Kennedy Center
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
Friedheim Award. Performances at Lincoln Center, the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
, and in Moscow, Vienna, Zurich, Budapest, Prague, Tokyo, Rome, and other capitals began a decade of expansion and growth. After residing in Vienna for ten years, del Águila returned to the United States in 1992, making his home in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. Before long Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
critics welcomed him as “One of the West Coast's most promising and enterprising young composers.” During this time he founded and directed the young musicians’ group Voices (which provided free instruction, concerts and premieres), and became music director
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
of Ojai Camerata.
New York’s Chautauqua Institution
Chautauqua Institution
The Chautauqua Institution is a non-profit adult education center and summer resort located on 750 acres in Chautauqua, New York, 17 miles northwest of Jamestown in the western part of New York State...
Summer Festival invited him as Resident Composer, where he remained until 2004 contributing new works, performances and literary articles. In 2005, Miguel del Águila accepted a two-year Composer-in-Residence position with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, through a Meet the Composer
Meet the Composer
Meet the Composer is an American organization founded in 1974 by the composer John Duffy as a project of the New York State Council on the Arts. It seeks to assist composers in making a living through writing music by sponsoring commissioning, residency, education, and audience interaction...
“Music Alive” Award. This marked the start of an intensively creative period that culminated with the fully staged premiere of his opera Time and Again Barelas, commemorating Albuquerque’s tricentennial.
By 2008 first-rate orchestras, ensembles and soloists were regularly commissioning and performing his works worldwide. These included almost fifty orchestras, over two hundred chamber ensembles and soloists, and virtually every country in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Currently del Águila’s catalogue reaches over a hundred works for all genres.
Miguel del Águila was honored with the Lancaster Symphony Composer of the Year Award 2009, the Peter S. Reed Foundation Award 2008, MTC Magnum Opus/Kathryn Gould Award 2008, as well as awards by The Copland Foundation, and the Argosy Foundation for Contemporary Music.
Chamber
- A Conga-Line in Hell, Chamber Orchestra
- Clocks, Piano and Ensemble
- Herbsttag, Mixed Trio
- Hexen, Bassoon and Ensemble
- Life is a Dream, String Quartet
- Pacific Serenade, Clarinet and Ensemble
- Presto II, String Quartet
- Salon Buenos Aires, Chamber Orchestra
- Toccata, Chamber Orchestra, Piano Solo
- Wind Quintet No. 2
- Summer Song, Oboe and Piano
Orchestral
- Conga for Orchestra
- Back in Time
- Caribbean Bacchanal
- Concerto for Clarinet and 15 Instruments
- Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra
- Piano Concerto
- Rondo Roto, Woodwind Solo and Orchestra
- The Fall of Cuzco
- The Giant Guitar
- Violin Concerto
Choral
- Ave Maria, Treble Chorus
- Requiem, Mixed Chorus, Vocal Soloists and Orchestra
External links
- Official Web Site
- Peermusic Classical: Miguel del Aguila Composer's Publisher and Bio
- Discography