News

April 17, 2024

Mi piece "Hologramas", an operatic scene for soprano, clarinet and piano, based on a text by renowned Peruvian playwright Maritza Núñez, was premiered at the Hyvinkääsali, a prestigious concert hall located in Hyvinkaa, Finland. Hologramas (Holograms) takes the apparent form of a children's tale, while at the same time revealing the shocking facts about what happens when the most vulnerable suffer the consequences of man's neglect. The piece was performed by Anni Niemelä (soprano), Lauri Vaahtoranta (clarinet) and Jussi Littunen (piano).

December 15, 2023

Finally, after more than a year of continuous work, I finished "The Dagger," a two-act chamber opera based on Macbeth. The libretto is a condensed version of the original text, with a reduced cast of 9 characters, 4 of which are taken by singers who participate in other roles, thus requiring only 5 singers. The instrumental ensemble is made up of bass clarinet, cello, percussion and piano. There is also a Spanish version, but it is not a faithful translation, since it had to respect the meter and accentuation of the English text in order to fit with the music. The piece has a total duration of approximately 70 minutes.

December 14, 2023

Today I received wonderful news from the folks at Lessonface: I have been named "Teacher of the Year 2023 for Classical Orchestration." The news took me completely by surprise, and I am extremely grateful to all the people who work at Lessonface for this award. Lessonface connects students with great teachers for live online music, language, and arts lessons. I teach composition and orchestration classes at Lessonface, in addition to other subjects. If you would like to learn more about those lessons, click here or visit the Teaching section under Services.

August 20, 2023

My trumpet concerto was premiered yesterday at the Great Temple of Argentine Freemasonry, in Buenos Aires by the Peruvian trumpeter Franco Carranza, accompanied by the José de San Martín National Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Agustín Montali. More than 400 people attended the premiere and it was broadcast live on YouTube.

August 10, 2023

My trumpet concerto will be premiered on August 19 at the Great Temple of Argentine Freemasonry, in Buenos Aires by the Peruvian trumpeter Franco Carranza, accompanied by the José de San Martín National Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Agustín Montali. The concerto is dedicated to General José de San Martín, Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru.

August 2, 2023

My album "Inspirations" was finally released on digital platforms. It was recorded in Barcelona by the Veu i Vent trio (Ximena Agurto, Eduardo Javier and Elías Romero) and tenor Roger Padullés. The album includes my pieces Eulogy, Hologramas and my mini-opera Dear Diary. The album was sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of Peru and was recorded at the famous Liceu conservatory.

July 7, 2023

My piano concert "Remembrance", dedicated to the memory of Kael Zollner, was performed again on July 7, this time in Arequipa, one of the most important cities south of Lima. The concert was held at the Arequipa Municipal Theater and was attended by 900 people. Peruvian pianist Diego Puertas was accompanied by the Arequipa Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Enrique Victoria.

April 8, 2023

My album "Inspirations" was recorded in Barcelona by Veu i Vent, a trio formed by Ximena Agurto (soprano), Eduardo Javier (clarinet) and Elías Romero (piano). The album includes my pieces Eulogy, Hologramas and my mini-opera Dear Diary, which features tenor Roger Padullés in the role of Adam. The album was sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of Peru and was recorded by Alejandro Fränkel at the famous Liceu conservatory.

December 11, 2022

My piano concerto was finally premiered in Lima on December 10 at 8:00 p.m. at Teatro Manuel Ascencio Segura by Peruvian pianist Diego Puertas and the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru, under Fernando Valcárcel. The work is inspired by four poems by Chilean author Pablo Neruda and is dedicated to the memory of Kael Zollner. The concert marked the 84th anniversary of the orchestra and was attended by more than 800 people.

December 2, 2022

Northern Landscapes, for string quartet, was premiered yesterday at the Auditorio Los Incas of the Ministry of Culture of Perú by Percy Dávila (violin), Carlos Sánchez (violin), Rafael Núñez (viola) and Kayrusan Quintero (cello). The concert was organized by the Ministry of Culture, the National Symphony Orchestra, Colectivo Sinapsis and the Academia de la Música Peruana Contemporánea.

November 25, 2022

Drifting, for string trio, was premiered on November 17 at Centro Cultural de la Universidad De Piura by Maria Elena Pacheco (violin), Daniel Sáenz (viola) and Iván Pierantozzi (cello). It was performed again on November 24 by the same musicians at the National University of Music and later recorded there by the Area of Phonography and Technology for Musical Interpretation and Creation. You can listen to the recording at this link.

September 8, 2022

Finally, my piano concerto, which I composed between 2019-2020, will premiere in Lima. The concert will be held on December 10 at the National Theater, by the Peruvian pianist Diego Puertas and the National Symphony Orchestra. The work is dedicated to the memory of Kael Zollner.

August 11, 2022

In 2011, I asked American writer Bryan Borland to write four poems that I could set to music. While composing, I realized that the style of the music called for a popular singer. This made the set difficult to perform, since art song recitals require operatic-type voices, and the piano accompaniment I wrote was too "classical" for a pop pianist. I finally found a solution: I produced them as an album. I present to you "Kindred Hearts", sung by Dutch singer Thomas Jakob.

September 29, 2021

I've always liked the idea of sharing my knowledge with others. In fact, this was one of my main motivations for getting involved in higher education. Compositium is a project that I started this year, 2021, with the renewal of my YouTube channel, transforming it into a source of educational videos related to composition, orchestration and other musical topics that are of interest to me.

April 23, 2021

I successfully completed my Master of Composition program at the University of Birmingham. I'm now officially an alumnus and will receive my certificate this year. This is another milestone in my career. I couldn't be happier!

February 23, 2021

I have recently added to my catalog my 50th work, a one-act chamber opera entitled Ídolos (Idols), with a libretto by Maritza Núñez. I can't stop thinking that after completing 50 works, my creativity has not been exhausted. New ideas are constantly emerging from what seems to me as a vast and endless ocean, and I look forward to the great road ahead and to the day when I will celebrate the culmination of my 100th work.

December 30, 2019

Pandora's Box, for clarinet and viola, will be presented on a program of duos by Ian Hipps (viola) and Daniel Jaggars (clarinet) that includes pieces by Paul Hindemith and Rebecca Clarke. The concert will take place on Saturday, January 11th, 6:30 at Saint Eulalia's Church in Elmhurst, Pennsylvania. The event is funded by the North Pocono Cultural Society. (Ian Hipps official website)

December 11, 2019

Peruvian Fanfare, for concert band, has been chosen to be performed at the North Central CBDNA Chosen Gems Session, which will take place on Friday, February 21, at DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois.

September 30, 2019

After several years of completing my studies at the National University of Music, I'm now a student again, but this time to pursue a master's degree in music composition from the University of Birmingham, UK. It will be a very productive year, as the program requires me to write a portfolio of works with a total duration of between 30 and 60 minutes. (Read more)

April 1, 2019

Alchimia, a cantata for 7 female voices and ensemble, was premiered on April 1 at the 9th edition of the Festival Josep Soler, in the Sala Llevant of the Biblioteca de Catalunya, in Barcelona, Spain. The work was performed by a group of local musicians conducted by Paloma Bascones. I was present at the concert that ended with a standing ovation from the audience and the repetition of one of the movements as an encore. (Watch on YouTube)

August 9, 2018

After two and a half years of painstaking work, my opera R is complete. Based on RUR, by Karel Capek, with libretto by Richard Lewis, R tells the story of a factory that makes artificial people, called roboti (robots), out of synthetic organic matter and how they rebel themselves against their human masters. Click on this post to find out more about R at the official site of the project. (Read more)

July 12, 2018

KOCMOC (Cosmos), for large orchestra and choir, was premiered on July 12 by the National Symphonic Orchestra and the National Choir of Peru, at Gran Teatro Nacional, Lima, Peru. Click on this post to hear the live recording on YouTube. (Watch on YouTube)

May 20, 2018

The results of the Newly Published Music Competition organized by the NFA (The National Flute Association of the US) were recently published and my piece Il Giardino della Casa was amongst the winning pieces, under the category "Duets with other instruments". Click here to access the NFA's official report. (Competition winners by date)

April 30, 2018

Poetic Melodies, for solo oboe, will be premiered in Washington DC on Sunday 6, 2018, by American oboist William Wilegus. The program also includes works by renowned Peruvian composers such as Iturriaga, Valcarcel and Pulgar Vidal. If you live in DC, don't miss the opportunity. You can also hear the live broadcast on Peruvian station Radio Filarmonia. Clicking on this post will take you to the Facebook event. (Read more)

January 23, 2018

Pandora's Box, for viola and clarinet, was premiered today at Sursa Hall, Ball State University, Indiana, by the duo Violet: Katrin Meidell, viola and Elizabeth Crawford, clarinet. Pandora's Box was commissioned specifically by Violet and was premiered alongside two other commissions by Latin American composers Samuel Robles and Dominic Dousa. (Watch on YouTube)

October 2, 2017

My Peruvian Fanfare, for concert band, was premiered yesterday at Green Center’s Kresge Auditorium, DePauw University, by The DePauw University Band, under Craig Pare.

November 18, 2016

Icarus, my first piece for orchestra, composed in 2003, has just been released on the album New South American Discoveries, by prestigious record label Harmonia Mundi, featuring the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and the acclaimed Peruvian conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya. (Read more)

October 13, 2016

Peruvian film La Hora Azul (Before Dawn) was released in theaters in Lima, Peru. Written and directed by Evelyne Pegot-Ogier, based on the novel by Alonso Cueto, the film tells the story of Adrian, a successful lawyer who discovers dark secrets from his father's past that threaten his well-earned reputation.

September 15, 2016

Ensueño (Daydream), a short musical for three singers and four musicians with a libretto by Mario Mendoza, was premiered at Centro Cultural Ricardo Palma, as the second musical of the show "ZAPPING: 3 Musicales en 1". Performances will continue for five weeks, from Tuesday to Sunday at 8:00 p.m.

July 12, 2016

"Il giardino della casa" was premiered at the Auditorium of "Colegio Santa Ursula" by Peruvian flute player Daniel Cueto and Romanian guitarist Mircea Gogoncea. It was included as part of the program they performed at the second edition of the Encounters of Peruvian Musicians, organized by the Sociedad Filarmónica de Lima.

June 29, 2016

Pictorial Miniatures premiered at the International Double Reed Society Conference held at Columbus State University. The piece was commissioned by the Bulgarian-Peruvian bassoonist Toma Mihaylov, who performed the first bassoon part.

August 19, 2015

Antonio Gervasoni obtained an Honorable Mention at the Third Festival Brasil de Cinema Internacional (FBCI) for the music he composed for the Peruvian film "La Amante del Libertador". The prize was received by the Peruvian Consul at Rio de Janeiro, Mr. Rolando Ruiz Rosas. (Read more)

August 24, 2014

Antonio Gervasoni was recognized as Most Distinguished Musician and received a Special Mention at the 2014 IBLA Grand Prize for his work KOCMOC, for orchestra and choir. (Official results)

November 16, 2013

Portuguese short film "Holy Popcorn", by Spanish director Ramón De Los Santos, was premiered at Covilhã, Portugal, on 16 November 2013. Antonio Gervasoni's original composition for Holy Popcorn was performed and synchronised live to the film by the orchestra of the Escola Profissional de Artes da Covilhã, EPABI, conducted by Maestro Rogério Peixinho. (Read more)

November 16, 2012

Composer Antonio Gervasoni gave a concert with a program composed exclusively of music for theatre and film. The concert, titled "La Música en la Escena" (The Music at the Scene) was presented at the "Auditorio del Colegio Santa María Marianistas" and included excerpts from the composer's works for theatre and film.

October 8, 2009

Peruvian animation film The Dolphin. Story of a Dreamer, by Eduardo Schuldt and music by Antonio Gervasoni, was released in theaters in Peru and several other countries in Latin America. Based on the bestseller by Sergio Bambaren, the film tells the story of Daniel, a dolphin who embarks in a journey of self-discovery.

September 17, 2009

Peruvian film "Tarata", by Fabrizio Aguilar, received its theatrical release in Lima, Peru. Antonio Gervasoni wrote the music for this film that tells the story of a dysfunctional family whose members find themselves trapped in the tragic events that took place in the street Tarata, on July 16, 1992, when a car bomb took the lives of 25 civilians and injured another 200.

August 3, 2009

Antonio Gervasoni was appointed Director of the newly created Music Department at Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas - UPC. Classes will begin next year and the career will focus on commercial music. Thus, UPC takes the first step into setting up the foundations for a successful music industry in Peru. (Read more)

September 25, 2008

Peruvian film "Vidas Paralelas" (Parallel Lives) was released in theaters in Lima, Peru. The film tells the story of two brothers separated at a very early age by terrible events within the internal war that Peru held with terrorist groups between the 80s and 90s. Antonio Gervasoni wrote the soundtrack for this film, which marks the debut of Peruvian director Rocío Lladó.

July 26, 2007

"La Gran Sangre", a successful Peruvian action TV series, reached theaters as a full-feature film that captures the essence of the series in which a band of vigilantes who call themselves "La Gran Sangre" fight the organized crime to restore peace and order. Antonio Gervasoni wrote the soundtrack for this film, released by JC Films, a division of Alpamayo Entertainment.

July 27, 2006

Peruvian animation film Dragons: Destiny of Fire, by Eduardo Schuldt, was released in theaters in Lima, Peru by Alpamayo Entertainment. Antonio Gervasoni composed the soundtrack for this film that tells the story of John John, a little dragon raised by a family of close-knit condors, who embarks on an adventure to discover his real origins.

May 5, 2006

"La Prueba" (The Test), the film debut of Peruvian director Judith Velez, received its theatrical release in Lima, Peru. With a soundtrack composed by Antonio Gervasoni, the film tells the story of Miranda, a young woman determined to find her father, because his blood type can save the life of her brother.

June 16, 2005

A-nir, Antonio Gervasoni's winning piece at the 2004 Vanguard Permieres Choral Composition Contest was premiered today at the Henry Ford Community College by Michigan-based choir Vanguard Voices, under the artistic direction of G. Kevin Dewey. The piece is a scoring of the first three paragraphs of "The Lament for Sumer and Urim", a text written circa 4000 BC. (Read more)