UYMP University of York Music Press

Tinoco is honoured with the DSCH – Shostakovich Ensemble’s new prize for composers

18 November 2019

UYMP is proud to announce that house composer Luis Tinoco has been awarded the DSCH - Shostakovich Ensemble 2019 Prize for Composers and thereby recognised nationally and internationally as one of the most relevant Portuguese composers of today. This is the award’s first year and it is the only award in Portugal which honours the career of a composer. The prize includes the commission of a piece for the ensemble and Luis has chosen to write a work for clarinet, violin and piano entitled ‘Aleppo’, which will be premiered by clarinettist Pascal Moraguès, violinist Corey Cerovsek and pianist and artistic director of the DSCH – Shostakovich Ensemble Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro on 28th November, at the Centro Cultural de Belém, Lisbon, in a concert entitled 'CROSSINGS: Classical, Folk and Jazz'.

Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro told the Portuguese news agency Lusa that the DSCH intends ‘to highlight the great Portuguese composers over the next few years and to create a repertoire of excellent concert programmes both in Portugal and beyond’. The award also aims to ‘recognise, encourage and disseminate contemporary Portuguese musical composition’, the pianist and director said. The award will presented at the world premiere of ‘Aleppo’.

Pinto-Ribeiro explained that ‘Aleppo’ is a composition which ‘traverses various musical sources, and the composer has focussed on Middle Eastern music - not only on Arabic melodies, but also on colours and sounds which he seeks to bring to classical instruments’.

‘Crossings is, by the way, the theme of the prize-giving concert, entitled ‘Crossings’, which seeks precisely to blend classical music and other languages such as jazz and popular music’, said Pinto-Ribeiro.

‘Luís [Tinoco] also thought of the idea of the crossing itself, in this case the Mediterranean Sea - people fleeing conflict and adversity. He began to imagine their anguish and created a musical lament which is certainly experienced by all those who seek solid ground and peace’, continued the pianist.

‘They often leave with nothing but their memories, and in a poetic way they can remember the songs of their lands that are behind them.’

The full announcement is available to read here, at RTP Notícias and details of the concert are here at the CCB. UYMP offers Luis many congratulations on the receipt of this prestigious award and sends all good wishes for a fantastic world premiere of ‘Aleppo’.

Photo: Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro, Pascal Moraguès and Corey Cerovsek

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