Pedro
Amaral

Born in Lisbon in 1972, Pedro Amaral studied at the Paris Superior Conservatoire, where he graduated, in 1998, with the “first prize in composition”, awarded by unanimous vote of the jury. He also studied conducting with Peter Eötvös (Eötvös Institute, 2000) and Emilio Pomarico (Milan Scuola Civica, 2001). In parallel with his practical apprenticeship, Pedro Amaral proceeded with university studies at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, in Paris, obtaining a Masters degree in contemporary musicology with a thesis on Stockhausen's Gruppen (1998) and, later on, a PhD with a thesis on Momente and the problematic of musical form in serial music. Amaral’s regular presence at French Institute IRCAM result in three important works: Transmutations, for piano and live electronics, Organa and the long Script for percussion and live electronics. As conductor, he specialized in Boulez, Berio and Stockhausen repertoire, as well as in mix repertoire (works for orchestra and electronics) besides his own music, which he partially recorded, in 2006, with the London Sinfonietta under his own conducting.