Miguel del Aguila

Biography

An internationally recognized compositional voice and talent, Miguel del Aguila creates fresh, spontaneous music often colored by Latin and World Music idioms, and with a healthy respect for the classical tradition and form. What results is a captivating interplay of classical balance and romantic excess. His penchant  for devising programs for his own works further enhances his highly dramatic style in which musical ideas, always simple and recognizable, are pushed to extremes by propulsive rhythms and adventurous instrumentation.


Miguel del Aguila’s prolific music output and distinctive musical style has placed him among the most highly regarded composers of his generation. He came to the attention of European audiences in 1983 when his Messages premiered at Musikvereinsaal, the home of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Soon performances at Konzerthaus and Bösendorfer Hall followed, marking the beginning of an international career that spans over two decades.

In 1987 Peermusic (Theodore Presser distr.) published his first works eventually incorporating most of Aguila’s works to their catalogue. American audiences embraced Aguila’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 to record five of his works in 1989 releasing his two first CD’s the following year.

During the 1990’s Aguila’s list of works grew as did the number of his recordings, performances and honors which by 1995 included the prestigious Kennedy Center Friedheim Award. Performances at NY’s Lincoln Center, London’s Royal Opera House, and in Moscow, Vienna, , Zurich, Budapest, Prague, Tokyo, Rome and other major capitals begun a decade of expansion and growth. After residing in Vienna for ten years, Aguila returned to the US in 1992 making California his home. 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 (1996-1999).

In 2000 New York’s Chautauqua Institution Summer Festival invited him as Resident Composer where he remained until 2004 contributing with new works, performances and literary articles. In 2005 Aguila accepted a two year Composer in Residence position with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, through a MTC-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. They included almost fifty orchestras, over two hundred chamber ensembles and soloists; and virtually every country in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Currently Aguila’s catalogue reaches over a hundred works for all genres. His music is widely available on twenty CD’s released by Bridge, Dorian, Telarc, New Albion, Albany, Centaur and Sony-Austria, among others.

Presently, Aguila 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. His busy 2010-2011 seasons will see premieres by Nashville, Puerto Rico, Virginia, Buffalo and Winnipeg symphony orchestras, by Cuarteto Latinoamericano, Manuel Barrueco and other first rate artists.

Miguel del Aguila is a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with post graduate studies at Vienna’s Hochschule für Musik and Vienna Konservatorium. He credits his early teachers in his native Montevideo (Herminia Laguarda and Baranda Reyes), as his most inspiring and enlightening influences.


Biografia en Espanol
M.d.A. es considerado uno de los mas destacados compositors de su generacion, no solo por su gran numero de obras sino tambien por la originalidad de su lenguaje musical. Su carrera que abarca casi tres decadas, se inicia en Viena al estrenarse su Messages Op. 1 en la sala Musikverinssaal, sede de la Orquesta Filarmonica de Viena. Su musica comienza luego a ejecutarse frecuentemente en las principales salas de Europa y en 1987 la editorial Peermusic/Theodore Presser publica sus primeras obras que seguira publicando hasta la fecha. En 1988, Lukas Foss presenta su HEXEN en Nueva York con la Filarmonica de Brooklyn y luego de un Segundo concierto en Carnegie Recital Hall una semana mas tarde, Albany Records y KKM-Austria le ofrecen un contrato para grabar cinco de sus obras que aparecen al ano siguiente en dos discos compactos. Durante los 90’s su musica es reconocida con numerosos premios y encargos, entre otros, el prestigioso Kennedy Center Friedheim Award. Esta decada que comienza con conciertos  en el Lincoln Center  de NY, Royal Opera House en Londres, y ejecuciones en Moscu, Viena, ,Zurich, Budapest, Praga, Tokio y Roma culmina con nuevas grabaciones y publicaciones de sus obras. Luego de residir diez anos en Viena, Miguel del Aguila se muda a California donde en pocos meses  el “Los Angeles Times” lo considera “uno de los mas prometedores jovenes compositores de la costa oeste”. Luego de tres anos como director de la Ojai Camerata, Aguila es invitado como compositor en residencia por Chautauqua Festival donde reside cuatro anos y mas tarde por la Orquesta Sinfonica de Nuevo Mexico donde reside hasta el 2006. Aqui se estrena su opera Time and Again Barelas en la occasion del tricentenario de la fundacion de Alburquerque. Para el 2008 su musica es ejecutada mundialmente por destacados solistas, mas de cincuenta orquestas, y por encima de doscientos grupos de camara. Actualmente su catalogo cuenta con ciento tres obras para todos los generos musicales y mas de veinte discos compactos para los sellos: Dorian, Telarc, New Albion, Albany, Centaur y Sony-Austria, entre otros. Recientemente le fue otorgado el premio “Lancaster Symphony Composer of the Year Award 2009“, “Peter S. Reed Foundation Award 2008”, “MTC Magnum Opus/Kathryn Gould Award 2008” y “The Copland Foundation Award” entre otros. La temporada de conciertos 2009-10 contara con estrenos de sus obras por las orquestas sinfonicas de Nashville, Puerto Rico, Virginia, Buffalo y Winnipeg.


now playing:
Ave Maria from Barelas Choral Suite

 

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