Sofia
Sousa Rocha
Born in 1986, in Braga, Sousa Rocha started studying piano at the age of seven. In 2001 she started her first Composition studies with Paulo Bastos at the Conservatory of Braga, where she also studied Electroacoustic Music. In 2004 she successfully applied to the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa (ESML) to complete a First Degree in Composition. She studied with Christopher Bochmann, Luís Tinoco, Carlos Caires and Carlos Marecos. In 2012, Sofia Sousa Rocha concluded her Master's Thesis in Composition at the ESML under the guidance of António Pinho Vargas. She was awarded with the first Prize at the ESML / National Archaeology Museum Composition Competition (2008) in the "Orchestra" Category, and she received commissions from the Young Musicians Award (2008), the Alcobaça Music Festival (2009), Leiria Music Festival (2013), Sond’Ar-te Electric Ensemble (2014) and 6th Concert Band Competition Braga (2019). She was commissioned by the Portuguese Opera House, Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, to compose Inês morre (2011-2012), a chamber opera with libretto by Miguel Jesus, musical direction by João Paulo Santos and stage direction by Luís Miguel Cintra. She has been teaching at the Calouste Gulbenkian Music Conservatoire in Braga since 2013.
